All For You
by InvertedNuke
Summary: Yuno Gasai is at the brink of despair again. But this time, a magical creature comes to entice her with the possibility of making a wish. It only requires making a contract. This takes place after the endings of both Future Diary and Puella Magi so there will be some spoilers.
1. Chapter 1: Opening Move

"_I've been observing you. _

_You know what's happening and what it means if it doesn't stop. _

_I can help you fix it. _

_I'll take care of everything. _

_I'll set it all up and let you start it. _

_You just have to let me watch. _

_Well? _

_Do we have a deal?"_

**All For You**

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to _Mirai Nikki_ or _Puella Magi Madoka Magica_.

Chapter 1: Opening Move

"Yuki. Yuki, wake up. Yuuuukiiiii."

The white and pink, cat-like creature stared at the scene. A pink haired girl dressed in a black, tattered robe was kneeling over a young man also in a black robe.

"Yuki, you need to get up. We have to keep the world running and then watch the stars. We can make more constellations Yuki. You always like that. Yuki. Come on Yuki."

The creature looked closer at the girl. Her face held an empty smile as she talked to the boy on the ground. Her eyes were hollow, vacant even. Like she wasn't even looking at what was in front of her. To the creature, it seemed like she was trying to actively deny reality and see something else. Because the reality was, the boy was dead.

_Hmm, I don't think I will ever fully understand humans._

"Yuki. Yuki. Yuki!"

The girl's eyes were getting more vacant. Her smile more strained. Her face looked ready to crack.

_Now._ "Yuno Gasai."

The girl, Yuno, froze for a second. She then grabbed the boy, Yuki, tight and held him against her and looked at the creature perched on a ledge above her. Her eyes weren't vacant anymore. They were intense. Calculating.

"Hello Yuno. I heard about your dilemma and came to help."

Yuno's pink eyes stared at the creature suspiciously. She held the body tighter against herself.

"Help? What do you mean? Yuki and I are fine right now."

The creature tilted it's head a bit. "Is that so? But then, why isn't that boy moving?"

Yuno looked down at the corpse in her arms. "He...he just needs to rest a bit. It's hard ruling a universe. He...he'll be back soon. He put himself to sleep is all." Yuno's voice started cracking and her eyes tearing up.

The creature stared at her longer, unmoving. Yuno ran her hand along Yuki's face.

"Yuki. Yuukiii."

Tears started falling. Yuno held him against her body.

"Yu-yuki! Why? W-why did you leave? We could have fixed it! You d-didn't have to go and leave me here a-alone! There h-had to be a-another way!"

Yuno was now bawling and desperately clutching Yuki's body. The creature stayed unmoving.

"YUKI!"

The world began trembling. The sky started slowly turning orange and black. Cracks in the ground appeared around Yuno.

"Yuno Gasai!"

Yuno stopped crying immediately and turned to the creature. A feral, dangerous look was on her face.

"I can grant you a wish Yuno. Any wish you make, any desire you have, I can make it real. No matter what it is. I can grant you even the most impossible of miracles."

Yuno's eyes brightened and her face lit up.

"Any wish? Anything? Even bringing back Yuki? Do you mean it?"

"I do." It's tail swished back and forth. "All that's required is to make a contract with me and become a Puella Magi."

"A contract with you? And you? Who are you?"

The creature's eyes seemed to flash just a little. "Me? Just call me Kyubey."

/人◕‿‿◕人\

Mami stood on the ledge of the skyscraper in her magical girl outfit, looking down onto the the city. The city, normally lit up at night from building and street lights, had a dull haze blanketing the block she was looking at. She glanced at her ring, which quietly pulsed with light. She sighed.

"It will be a busy night it seems." She crossed her arms with a serious look before smiling. "Better get started then."

Mami jumped from the ledge and fell to meet the ground below. Her golden hair shaped in drill-like tails flew behind her as the air streamed about her. As she fell, her eyes darted everywhere. It had to be around here somewhere. But where?

A giant shadow moved. Mami smiled and brought her hand up as she fell. 20 large flintlock rifles formed a circle around her. She pointed at the shadow, and the rifles simultaneously fired with a noise like thunder. The rush from using her power secretly thrilled Mami. It was intoxicating, if you weren't careful.

The bullets shot toward the shadow with yellow intensity marking their paths. They struck the shadow just as Mami softly landed on the ground. It fell over and a large figure fell to the ground at Mami's feet. It looked like a giant human wrapped in a monk's robe, except now it's head was completely gone. As she stared at it, it quickly dissolved until only a small black cube remained.

Quick and precise. Just the way she like it. Mami smiled. She had been hunting these creatures called wraiths for several years now. Ever since that fateful day she had made that wish.

_Best not to think of that now. There must be more nearby._

She slowly turned in a circle while forming a ribbon of magic between her fingers. She could sense them, but the dark and the miasma they created made it very difficult to detect where they were. More than once, she had been ambushed from the dark and so she was always on guard.

Mami twirled the ribbon in a circle around her. It seemed to stay in place, hovering in the air, before shooting out in an intricate web around her. A loud groan came from behind and to the left. She summoned a huge flintlock rifle in her hands and fired in that direction. The brilliant yellow bullet struck a wraith square in the chest as it attempted to free itself from her ribbon entrapment.

Mami had no time to celebrate. A wraith from above swooped down to crush her. She summoned another rifle only to sense movement beneath her feet.

_A trap!_

She discarded the rifle and crouched to the ground. She put one hand on the ground and another above her. Ribbons made an intricate web over the ground as a dozen rifles appeared above her hand. A thunderous roar riddled the wraith above with holes as the wraith hidden in the ground was forced out into a ribbon cocoon. Mami leaped to the side and landed on top of a streetlight as the Wraith smashed into its cocooned partner before dissolving. Mami almost lazily summoned a rifle and destroyed the remaining trapped wraith.

The miasma started to slowly clear. Mami sighed. In the heat of battle, she rarely noticed the energy required to use her powers, but she always felt a bit drained afterward. Destroying 4 wraiths was not easy, and she had been lucky to snipe the first one.

Mami concentrated on her ring until it morphed into a large, yellow gem resting on the palm of her hand. Her soul gem. It let her know how much energy she had left before...well, before things became very dangerous. It was still bright but it had acquired a slight drab to it, like graphite dust had been lightly coated on it.

Mami grabbed one of the black cubes left behind and touched it to her soul gem. A bright light shone and then the cube became darker, leaving her gem sparkling. She concentrated again and it became a ring once more.

Mami smiled. She always felt a bit relieved making her gem brighter and did her best to never let it get even close to dark.

_If only we had been better about that before. Maybe Sayaka-_

She shook that thought away immediately. It didn't help to dwell on past mistakes and tragedies. She just had to keep pushing forward and be the heroine and protector this city needed. And it needed it. It seemed that within the past few weeks, the number of wraith attacks had increased dramatically. It used to be she could relax at home most nights with a wraith appearing only twice a week at most. Now it seemed wraith attacks were happening almost every night, requiring her to be on constant patrol. And 4 at a time? Last year she would have thought that unthinkable, but it had slowly become the new norm. So far she had risen to the challenge, but she couldn't stop the nagging worry in the back of her mind that said soon she might go out and run into something she just couldn't handle.

"Good thing I have Kyoko or else I might be terribly depressed," she said. Kyoko was a fellow magical girl and friend. They had known each other for years, even before making wishes. Mami had become a magical girl first and helped Kyoko adjust when she had become one too. Despite having a falling out in the past, they were now friends again.

_I should talk with her about the increase in wraith numbers. Maybe she'll have some idea. I should also contact girls outside the city to see if it's happening everywhere or just here._

Mami quickly gathered up the remaining cubes and prepared to head home. A shout sounded on the other side of the building. Mami hesitated for a second before running to the sound. She was feeling tired now and hoped it wasn't a wraith again. She looked at her ring. It wasn't pulsing.

_It shouldn't be right? The miasma cleared up. Maybe it's just a mugging or a bike accident._

Something in her gut told her it wasn't though. She ran faster and turned the corner. Her fears were confirmed. A wraith was towering over a man and his dog. The wraith's face was covered by the usual light mosaic that disguised their features, but a mouth had formed beneath and was glowing brightly. Mami's stomach dropped. The man was about to have his soul ripped out of his body.

"Over here wraith! Feel my justice!" Mami shouted, hoping to distract it, as she quickly summoned a large rifle and shot at it. Her shot dug into it's shoulder and glowed a bit, but the wraith remained unfazed and began extracting the soul.

_NO! I need to_-

The wraith froze in place and the lights on its face dimmed. A vertical cut appeared going the length of it's body before each half of the wraith started slowly sliding apart. A bright light spilled out of it's insides as each half collapsed. The body dissolved into a single cube.

Mami gaped. "Wha...what was that? What happened?"

She looked up and saw a figure standing on a window ledge, but it was in shadows. The man on the ground was in shock and his dog had curled into a ball, whimpering. Mami made to go to the man when the figure dropped down in front of him.

"Wh-what happened? What's going on? D-did you save-"

The figure raised a sword it had been holding at it's side and knocked the man out with it's hilt. He collapsed on the ground. The figure turned and walked into the light causing Mami to gasp.

"Are you...are you a magical girl too?" Mami asked.

The figure was a tall girl but young, about 14. She was dressed somewhat like a magical girl with high boots and bright pink colors to match her hair, but there were distinct differences between her outfit and Mami's. Mami often considered her outfit to be a bit different than the other girls' that she knew. Mami had a hat, brown corset, high brown boots with socks covering most of her legs, and a brown skirt. Other girls said it had a "western" feel to it. But like most girls she knew, she had white on her. In her case, a white blouse and detached sleeves. This girl had no white at all. Instead, her clothing was predominantly black where it wasn't pink. Instead of being cute, loose, or frilly, her clothes were sleek and tight except for a black robe that hung around her shoulders. A long, keen sword held easily in her hand completed the picture.

What struck Mami most of all though were her eyes. They were wide, intense, and strangely hollow. They seemed to bore into Mami's very being. She wanted to look away but dared not to.

A small figure bounced into view next to the girl. Kyubey.

"Ah, Mami Tomoe! It is excellent you are here. Meet the newest magical girl."

There was a change in the air. The very atmosphere seemed to shift. The girl's eyes were now bright and friendly, radiating a pink warmth. Yuno bowed to Mami.

"Miss. Tomoe, I am very happy to meet you. I am Yuno Gasai. Kyubey told me a bit about you."

Mami was taken aback by the complete mood shift in the girl. She was so cheerful and open now, it made Mami want to befriend her immediately. The sword had also disappeared. She could almost believe she had imagined the look Yuno had before. Almost.

"Miss Gasai, please call me Mami. Since we are both magical girls, would it be fine for me to address you as Yuno?

"Of course Mami. I am new to being a magical girl and so have much to learn."

Mami smiled. "Don't worry Yuno. I remember what it was like starting out, and love to help those just starting their duty. Why don't you come to my house tonight? We can have tea and get to know each other more as I mentor you."

Yuno grinned. "Sounds wonderful! Are you sure it won't be a bother?"

"No no! Of course not! I love having company over. And when that company is another magical girl, well, it's twice as good!"

Kyubey sat with it's head tilted slightly watching this exchange. It's tail flicked back and forth.

"Now before we leave," Mami said, "do you see that cube over there?" She pointed to the cube.

Yuno nodded.

"Pick it up," Mami said, "and bring it over to Kyubey."

Yuno did as instructed. She knelt down to Kyubey who swiped it with it's paw and knocked it upward. The pink pattern on Kyubey's back opened up like a hatch and the cube disappeared inside before his back closed up again without a seam.

"Whenever we kill wraiths, that monster just now, they leave behind these cubes and we give them to Kyubey or use them ourselves if necessary. Speaking of which, Kyubey, here's some more. It was a busy night."

Mami threw the cubes she collected to Kyubey who caught them all in it's back.

Mami bowed to Kyubey. "Thank you, Kyubey, for introducing me to Yuno Gasai. You are a dear friend."

"Think nothing of it Mami! I'm just doing what's best."

Mami took Yuno's hand in hers. "Let's go to my place now and have some tea. You can ask me anything you want."

Yuno smiled at her. "Yes, I'd love that. Thank you so much for taking care of me."

Mami smiled as her heart filled with warmth. "No no! The pleasure's all mine!"

_This is what makes it all worthwhile. Helping others and making new friends._ Mami smiled again.

Mami jumped up to a ledge and beckoned Yuno to follow who jumped after her. They then jumped away into the shadows.

Kyubey watched them leave before getting up.

_Everything is going as planned._

It jumped after them and disappeared into the dark.


	2. Chapter 2: Initiative

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to _Mirai Nikki_ or _Puella Magi Madoka Magica_.

Chapter 2: Initiative

Mami carefully poured tea into her guest's cup before pouring a cup for herself. Earl Grey with a dash of lemon juice and cinnamon. She quietly sipped her tea while studying her guest over the rim of her cup. Mami was impressed by Yuno's excellent manners, a stark contrast to Kyoko. She sat attentively, held her cup properly, and waited until Mami had poured tea for herself before reaching out to have a drink.

_I could really get to like this girl._

Kyubey lounged on a chair nearby. It was laying down in what looked like a casual, relaxed manner but it's eyes never left Yuno, as if making sure it didn't miss anything she did. Or maybe making sure Yuno knew it wouldn't.

Mami waited to see if Yuno wanted to say anything, but she seemed a bit shy or perhaps nervous.

_The poor thing's just become a magical girl. All this must be so overwhelming._

"So Yuno," Mami said, "how long have you lived in this city? Do you go to school nearby?"

"Oh, I only just recently moved here from a different region. As for school, I am privately tutored."

"Really? How interesting! Did you parents decide that for you or was it your choice?"

A shadow passed over Yuno's face. Mami immediately felt she had said something wrong.

"Uh, I'm sorry," Mami said, "I didn't mean to bring up anything embarrassing."

Yuno was back to her cheerful self. "No, it's fine! It was originally my parent's choice. I went to a public school for awhile but then decided to go back to tutoring."

"I see. I was kind of hoping to see you at my school but I guess I'm out of luck!"

Mami smiled at Yuno who smiled back, but Mami could sense a slight tension in the air now. She decided to switch topics and get to the main reason she had invited Yuno over.

"It must be strange being a magical girl now. I still remember how it was for me. Making my wish and then being given this magic and responsibility."

"Do you ever regret it?"

"No, I am happy Kyubey gave me this chance." Kyubey's tail flicked at this. "I would have died without him. I would much rather be alive as a magical girl." Mami became more reflective, swirling her tea with a spoon. "I suppose I just regret I didn't have as much time to think about my wish as I would have liked."

It always brought up painful memories when she thought back to making her wish, but talking about it helped her reaffirm her feeling that she had made the best decision possible under the circumstances.

"Do you regret making your wish Miss. Yuno?"

Yuno smiled and looked off into the distance. "Not for a second. It was a small price to pay, becoming a magical girl, in order to have my fondest wish come true."

Mami was struck by the fervor in Yuno's voice and felt very happy for her, but she knew most magical girls felt that way at the beginning. Over time though, feelings could change as the responsibilities and dangers of being a magical girl sunk in. She had seen it happen often, sometimes with tragic results.

Mami banished those thoughts away. _It's not good to dwell on that. She's happy now. Let her enjoy it as long as it lasts. _ Mami smiled a bit._ Maybe I can make it last longer._

She turned to Kyubey. "I'm glad you were able to be such a blessing to this girl Kyubey. You're almost like an angel."

Kyubey looked at Mami and cocked it's head to the side. "It's mutually beneficial for all. You help me, and I help you. The more contracts made, the more wraiths destroyed."

"Yes, you are quite right." She turned back to Yuno. "Do you mind me asking what it was you wished for?"

Yuno seemed to freeze for a second before getting a very embarrassed look on her face and bowing her head down. "It's uh...very personal."

Mami felt ashamed of herself. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry into something so sensitive."

Yuno looked up at her and smiled. "No, don't worry. I just feel a bit uncomfortable talking about it right now. Perhaps later?"

"Yes of course. Please, forgive my impertinence." _ Mami, how could you be so insensitive! Of course her wish would be very personal._ "Well, since we are here, what questions do you have for me concerning your new duties?"

Yuno pondered this for a second. "What are my main duties? What's most important?"

"Ah, that's easy to answer. Remember that thing that attacked the man earlier? The wraith? Those are beings born from the despair and sadness in the world. They shroud themselves in darkness, attacking humans and feeding on their life force. Normal people can't see them and so are very vulnerable. It is our job to destroy all wraiths we encounter and protect everyone we can."

"And the cubes?"

Kyubey sat up. "That is the condensed form of the essence they are formed from," it said. "It is my duty to collect them when you destroy wraiths."

"We can also use the cubes ourselves." Mami held out her hand, palm up, and willed her ring to form into her soul gem. It rested on her palm, glowing slightly. "Can I see yours?"

Yuno brought her hand up and focused on her ring until a brilliant pink soul gem rested in her hands. Mami had never seen one like it. It glowed like a clean soul gem, but a power radiated from it that made the hair on the back of Mami's neck stand up, and the lights within swirled and formed in chaotic patterns. Mami felt mesmerized looking at it. Kyubey sat up straighter, looking at Yuno and her gem.

"It...it's beautiful. I've never seen one like it." _I'll need to ask Kyubey about this later._ "Well, you see how sparkling both of ours are right now? As we use our powers to fight wraiths or when we get filled with negative emotion, our gems become darker. The cubes can absorb some of this darkness and brighten it up again, but it can take quite a few cubes after an intense battle."

"Do we get weaker as it gets darker?"

"Not physically, but emotionally yes. Despair, anger, rage. These emotions will eat away at us. And...if we're not careful...we will be consumed." Mami locked eyes with Yuno. "It's very, very important that you are aware of this."

"What do you mean consumed?"

"It's an old story, The Law of the Cycle. When we overuse our gem and are about to bring more despair into the world than hope, the gem will break and the magical girl who owns it will disappear. There are rumors that she is taken away to a better place before being eventually born again. These are just theories though. No-one knows for sure."

"That's true," Kyubey chimed in. "Even I am not sure how the gem breaks or what happens to the magical girl after."

Mami rested a hand on Yuno's shoulder. "Please be careful about overusing your gem. Make sure to keep it clean and sparkling. I'll help you get cubes so you won't have to worry. I...know girls who have been consumed."

Yuno studied Mami for a moment before saying, "I understand."

Mami smiled. "Thank you." She turned her soul gem into a ring again, and Yuno likewise transformed her soul gem back into jewelry. "Now back to your duties. From what I saw, you did very well fighting the wraith. Very quick and efficient."

Yuno smiled and blushed. "Thank you for saying so."

"Have you had experience with fighting before? Like being trained to fence?"

Another shadow passed over Yuno's face but faded almost immediately. "I've had a bit of experience, but I'm sure I still have a lot to learn."

"Of course, everyone has to get experience fighting wraiths. From what I can tell though, it should be easy for you to learn."

"I'm glad you think so."

Kyubey hopped onto the table. "It's true. Yuno has vast potential. With your help Mami, she could become a formidable magical girl."

Mami chuckled a little. "You are too kind with your praise Kyubey. But truly Yuno, I would be honored to have you patrol with me as I help you learn. And more importantly, we could become good friends."

Yuno's eyes brightened and she grabbed Mami's hands. "Oh Mami, I would love that so much! I would be so honored to fight by your side and learn from someone as wise and experienced as you. And, well...you don't know this but I don't have any friends in this city, having just moved here so recently. I'm away from everyone and it can be terribly lonely. Having you to talk to would mean so much to me."

Mami's eyes filled with tears and she clasped her hands with Yuno's. "I...I know exactly what you mean. I've lived here alone for so long and sometimes the solitude can be too much to bear." A tear ran down her cheek. "If I didn't have my friend Kyoko, I don't know what I'd do, but she only visits sparingly. To have another friend to talk with would mean so much."

Yuno looked deep into Mami's eyes. "I hope I can be that friend."

Mami smiled and gave a small hiccup. She pulled a hand away and rubbed away the tear on her cheek. "Sorry. I didn't mean to get all emotional like this. But I'm so happy that I got to know you." She took in a deep breath and calmed herself down. She then turned to Kyubey who had been watching the whole thing attentively. "And thank you Kyubey for introducing us." She reached down and hugged Kyubey against her chest.

Kyubey nuzzled it's head against her. "I'm happy to help."

Mami let go and took a sip of tea to further calm herself. She then smiled. "Well then, it's late but how about we meet together tomorrow evening here so that we can go out on patrol?"

Yuno smiled. "Sounds wonderful!"

"Excellent. Here take one of these cakes to go."

After showing them out (Kyubey hopped onto Yuno's shoulder and went with her), Mami tidied up, washed herself, and climbed into bed.

_This turned out to be one of the best evenings in a long time._

An image of Yuno's face with hollow eyes flashed into her mind. She shook it away. _She's intense when fighting, but a perfect angel otherwise._ She drew up her covers and drifted off to sleep.

/人◕‿‿◕人\

Mami and Yuno walked together in the park with Kyubey tailing along. Golden light from the setting sun illuminated the area. Mami had her soul gem in her hand.

"Wraiths can attack during the day but that is pretty rare," Mami said, "and when they do, Kyoko will usually take care of them. So I do my patrols during the evening and at night."

"Do wraiths attack everyday?"

Mami hesitated bit before answering. "Not everyday no, but they have been attacking very frequently lately. I've been going on patrol every night now just in case. When a wraith is nearby, your soul gem will start to pulse. The atmosphere will start to get darker too with miasma. If there are many wraiths then the miasma can be very thick."

"How many wraiths usually gather in one place?"

"There's no fixed number, but there are rarely more than four wraiths gathered at a time. Since you are new, I would caution you against fighting more than one wraith at a time."

"I'm sure someone with your experience can handle many wraiths at once."

Mami tried not to get too proud but did feel pleased. "I can hold my own."

The soul gem started pulsing. Yuno's gem started pulsing too. Kyubey perked up.

"The enemy is near," Kyubey said. "Make sure to be on your guard."

They walked deeper into the park. The sun had almost completely set now. The pulses started getting stronger the deeper they went. The air around them began to get a bit hazy.

"Best to get ready," Mami said.

She spun in a circle and threw up soul gem. She then caught it with her hands as it fell down and held it out in front of her, levitating it with her palms. Ribbons and a bright light flashed out. Lights kept flashing about her as her clothing transformed into her magical girl uniform with her gem becoming a jeweled hair piece. As the transformation completed, she spun and struck a pose.

Yuno willed her soul gem onto the tip of her finger and left it balanced there for a second before it flashed in a huge burst of pink color. Light with numbers, waves, and the sound of clocks spun around her and then fitted itself over her into her uniform with the cloak flapping out behind her and her soul gem transforming last, resting between her collarbones as a bright pink jewel on a choker necklace. Her katana was ready in her hand.

Mami ran toward the center of the park with Yuno and Kyubey close behind. Miasma started forming around them the further they went. _It's so thick. I'll need to be careful and protect Yuno, but I also need to be confident in front of her. I need to be a role model for her._

It was dark now, the sun having finally set. They arrived at the center of the park. Mami saw some lumps on the ground in the distance but the miasma obscured them. The group moved cautiously towards them. When she could finally see what they were, Mami grimaced. There were about 5 corpses scattered about on the ground. They didn't look physically harmed but the expressions on their faces showed they had not die peacefully.

Mami had seen death before, much more than she would have liked, but it always saddened her to see the remains of what was once a moving, feeling person. It was part of what drove her to fulfill her duties and never give up.

She looked over to see how Yuno was handling the bodies. To her surprise, Yuno wasn't even looking at them but was scanning the area, sword at the ready.

_Why would she-_

Realization hit Mami. _Trap._

She summoned two rifles in her hands just as a wraith rushed her from the darkness. She flipped out of the way and unloaded on it. It shrieked in pain but didn't go down, vanishing back into the miasma.

"Yuno, face the opposite direction as me. Get ready for anything."

They stood back to back, catching glimpses of wraiths moving among the darkness. Mami's mind was racing. Wraiths would often ambush from the darkness, but to place corpses as bait? She wouldn't have believed them intelligent enough to coordinate something like that. It made her more and more worried.

She tried to count how many wraiths there were, but the miasma and their swirling pattern made it almost impossible. She decided to flush them out.

"Yuno, I'm going to force them out. Be ready and don't chase after any of them."

Yuno raised her sword eye level in a two handed stance, the blade parallel to the ground. Kyubey stood ready in between them.

Mami jumped up and spread out her arms. Hundreds of rifles formed in the air, facing downward and making a ring around her and Yuno. She smiled and brought her hands down, causing all the rifles to simultaneously fire. Deadly rain smashed into the ground, making a large ring of explosions. Wraith shrieks sounded everywhere.

Two wraiths flung themselves out of the explosions, heading for Mami. Mami flipped upside down and summoned two rifles in her hands. She crossed her arms and shot both wraiths as the came then flipped the rifles around and spun herself. The rifle stocks slammed into the wraiths and sent them flying away, one of them dissolving in midair.

Mami flipped and landed with her back again to Yuno. The explosions had temporarily cleared the miasma allowing them to see 3 wraiths circling them.

"Yuno, I'm going to fire at two of them and then you-"

Yuno sprinted after two of them.

"Yuno!" _Don't be reckless!_

The third wraith tried to flank Yuno. Mami pulled a ribbon off her shirt and formed a giant flintlock pistol. "Trio Finale!" A huge bullet exploded out and annihilated the wraith. She turned to shoot at the other wraiths but stopped at what she saw.

Yuno had summoned thousands of knives in the air and was creating a blade storm around the wraiths, slicing them tens of thousands of times. Yuno held her sword up in her two handed stance and then reappeared behind one wraith, then the other, before finally returning to her starting location all in less than a second. To Mami, it almost looked like she had been in three places at once.

The knives vanished, leaving the wraiths glowing from their cuts before splitting open. Mami was stunned. _This girl...is strong._

A sound came from behind her. She looked back just in time to see the giant form of a wraith rushing toward her. She didn't have time to summon anything. She shifted her body to jump out of the way when the wraith started splitting apart. Both halves passed by on either side of her before dissolving.

Yuno was in a kneeling stance in front of Mami, sword held in a one-hand reverse stance, the blade tip resting on the ground. Yuno sighed before turning to Mami, smiling. "That seems to be the last one."

Mami took a moment to recover before smiling and walking over to Yuno. "It seems I underestimated you."

Kyubey hopped onto Mami's shoulder. "What did I tell you?" it said. "She has vast potential."

"Yes, you were correct."

Yuno bowed her head. "You are too kind, Mami"

Mami raised Yuno's head up. "No, I should be bowing to you. I came to show you the ropes and you ended up helping me. Thank you Yuno."

A voice sounded out. "Maybe it's cuz you're getting too old, eh Mami?"

Mami and Yuno looked over to see a red-haired magical girl munching on an apple.

Mami smiled. "Hello Kyoko."


	3. Chapter 3: Development

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to _Mirai Nikki_ or _Puella Magi Madoka Magica_.

Chapter 3: Development

Kyoko took another bite of her apple as she sauntered over to Mami with a giant spear on her shoulder. "You're losing your touch Mami, almost getting crushed by a wraith. Maybe you should let me take full control of this territory and you can stay at home drinking tea?"

Mami smiled condescendingly. "Friendly as usual I see. And why are you here? Last time we spoke, you said you were too busy to visit.

Kyoko looked at Mami for a second before brushing past her. "I came to see the new meat. See if she was up to snuff." She paused in front of Yuno and looked her over while finishing off her apple. Yuno stood in a relaxed stance as she did so, seemingly indifferent to Kyoko's scrutiny.

Kyoko threw her apple core behind her where it landed at Mami's feet. "Hmmm, you definitely don't look like the usual magical girl. Hey Kyubey!" Kyubey's ears perked up. "How come she's dressed like some kinda skank? You can see every curve of her just fine."

Mami turned red. "Kyoko! Don't be so impolite! You're embarrassing her!" Yuno, however, didn't seem to care. She appeared as if she wasn't even paying attention to Kyoko but was lost in thought instead.

Kyubey pranced over to sit at Yuno's feet. "Clothing of magical girls is determined by the girl at the time of the contract. Your tastes, style, and personality all determine what you wear. I don't have any control over it."

"That so huh?" Kyoko put her hands on her hips and stared at Yuno for another moment before shrugging. "Well if you say so. So what's your name? Mami hasn't told me anything, like usual." Mami narrowed her eyes at her.

Yuno focused on Kyoko. "My name is Yuno Gasai," she said bowing. "It is nice to meet you Miss..."

"Kyoko Sakura, but just call me Kyoko. Only old hags insist on calling people by last names." She turned and grinned at Mami.

"I'll have you know," Mami said, "I'm starting to use first names with other magical girls."

"Finally letting some of my good influence rub off on you eh?" She turned back to Yuno. "I saw you fighting. Gotta say, I'm pretty impressed. Two wraiths at once ain't bad for a newbie, and saving Mami to boot. You might even give me some entertainment if we ever fight."

"Do you always have to talk about fighting other people?" Mami said. "There's been plenty of wraiths lately for you to get your fix."

"Come off it Mami. What's the hurt in sparring a little with each other every now and then? It's good practice and really get's your blood pumping."

"It's an unnecessary waste of energy and time. It's more responsible to be on patrol when in uniform."

"Gah! You're so boring sometimes! If you didn't make such good dessert, I don't know if I'd ever visit you."

Mami smiled at this. "As I often tell you, you are welcome to visit any time. Maybe you could join Yuno and I for some tea later?"

Kyoko spread her palms out. "Sorry Mami. Can't tonight. Just wanted to drop by to see the newbie and then I need to go slice up more wraiths. Still," she said, turning to Yuno, "how 'bout it? A quick spar between you and me? I'll go easy on you, and it'll help you practice. Whaddya say, hmmm?"

Kyubey jumped up on Yuno's shoulder. "It wouldn't be a good idea to fight Yuno. Her natural talent is the strongest of any magical girl I've contracted."

Kyoko glared at Kyubey and then at Yuno before brandishing her spear and slamming the butt of it into the ground. "And what's that supposed to mean? Sure she did okay against some wraiths but against an experienced magical girl? I'd crush in her one blow."

Mami rested a hand on Kyoko's shoulder. "Kyoko-"

Kyoko shrugged her off. "This is an invitation to Yuno, Mami. Not to you. Well Yuno? Wanna see how long "the most talented" magical girl can last against me?"

Yuno smiled cheerily. "I'm sure you are very skilled Kyoko. Have you fought many other magical girls?"

Kyoko smirked. "Of course! Loads of them! Magical girls everywhere can tell you how good I am. Whether friendly sparring or disputing territory, I always come out on top!"

"How nice! Then, you've never been defeated?"

Kyoko faltered a bit. "N-no magical girl around here can stand against me."

Yuno looked at Kyoko slyly. "But that's not the same as saying yes is it?"

"I-I mean...well..." Kyoko glared at Yuno. "What do you care? This is between you and me! That girl's probably dead and gone now."

Mami stepped in front of Kyoko and gave her a cold look. "Don't talk that way about Miss. Homura. She helped us many times and was a good friend in her own way."

Kyoko met her look. "Well for such a good friend, she hasn't been back for almost a year now. She just up and leaves, going off to do who knows what, and drops off the face of the Earth. If she hasn't come back by now or been seen by anyone then I'd say it's a safe bet she's long gone."

Mami stared at her for a moment longer before turning away. "We can't say that for sure. I prefer to have some hope that she's still out there."

Kyubey watched all this intently from Yuno's shoulder. It's tail swished back and forth, and it's eyes seemed to gleam a bit.

Mami bowed to Yuno. "Sorry about all that. Miss. Homura was a dear friend of ours. Kyoko and I," Mami looked back at Kyoko who huffily folder her arms and looked away, "were quite upset when she departed suddenly. She left a letter telling us she was traveling to continue her duties as a magical girl and then we never heard from her again."

"She's dead I tell you!"

Mami ignored Kyoko and smiled at Yuno. "Regardless, I apologize for Kyoko's rudeness and that you had to see us argue like that."

"It's no problem," Yuno said.

"Wonderful! Well, Yuno and I still need to finish our patrols, so unless you want to join us Kyoko, we must depart."

"Now hold on a minute!" Kyoko said. "Yuno never said she didn't want to spar a bit."

Yuno shrugged. "Not today I think. Perhaps later?"

Kyoko's eyes narrowed. "Oh? Too scared to fight me now? Well that's pretty smart of you, I guess. I'm not good at holding back and may have put you out of commission for awhile. Then Mami would've gotten all mad. It wouldn't really have been a good workout for me anyway."

Yuno smiled at her. "Yes, you're probably right."

"Hmph. Well, I've gotta get going. We'll see each other later I'm sure."

"And hopefully," Mami said to her, "under less hostile conditions."

"Whatever you say, you old cow."

She turned to leave, but then Yuno spoke up. "Before you go, I wanted to ask. This girl Homura sounds very strong but odd for leaving like that. Did she care for her friends? Did she help both of you when you needed it?"

Kyoko closed her eyes and appeared angry before she sighed and her face softened. "Homura wasn't what you'd call a 'friendly girl' or anything. She always looked down on you and kept you at a distance. But I will say she was there for her friends. When we really needed her help, she would give it."

Mami nodded. "Kyoko's right. Although Homura was...aloof and rarely showed her emotions, deep down she really cared for us. I...really do miss her."

Yuno pondered this for a moment before smiling again. "She sounds like a strong person and a good friend. Hopefully I get to meet her someday."

"I hope we all get to see her again soon," Mami said with a sad smile.

Kyoko huffed impatiently. "If you're done with the questions, I've got to get going. See ya around Mami. And you too Yuno. Let me know when you want to really test your skills."

Kyoko jumped away and vanished into the darkness.

Mami sighed and turned back to Yuno. "Kyoko's a bit hard-edged, but she really is a caring girl. She just shows it differently." She looked back at where Kyoko had vanished. "But I'm glad she stopped by."

Kyubey stood up a bit. "I believe there may still be a few more wraiths out here tonight."

Mami stretched her arms a bit. "Yes, you're right. You ready to keep patrolling Yuno?"

Yuno rested her katana on the palm of her hand and smiled. "Of course!"

"Then let's get going."

They ran out of the park and towards a tall building for a vantage point. Mami was indeed happy to see Kyoko and have Yuno meet her. She was also glad to talk about Homura again, but something was bothering her. As they ran, she racked her mind to figure out what it was. It was lurking just out of reach. _What was it?_

They got to the building, and Mami watched Yuno easily scale it with her sword at the ready and Kyubey riding on her shoulder. She followed behind, and they reached the top to scan the area. Mami looked at Yuno who smiled at her cheerfully before looking away. That's when it hit Mami.

Yuno's eyes had gone hollow when she had asked about Homura.

/人◕‿‿◕人\

Mami walked into her home and dumped her school bag on the ground before collapsing onto the couch. It had been a test day and the night before she'd been busy fighting more wraiths. To top it off, Yuno said she would be leaving for today and tonight so it would just be her again.

Mami pulled a pillow over her face and blocked out the light. She seriously considered just lying there and taking the night off. It was very tempting...

She threw the pillow off and prepared herself some tea. _No slacking off now. I'll just use a bit of magic to give myself more energy. I've got some extra cubes to brighten my soul gem just for that._

She finished some homework, ate some dinner, and tidied up a bit. Just as she was getting ready to go out, Kyubey appeared at her window. She opened it up and let the creature in.

Kyubey hopped on the couch and laid down before looking at her. "Ready to go out Mami?"

"Of course. I'm just a little sad Yuno won't be joining me."

Kyubey's ears wiggled up and down. "Yuno is out of town on some business; however, taking care of the wraiths here shouldn't be a problem for someone of your experience."

Mami patted it on the head. "You're quite right, but that's not why I want Yuno here. Anyway, I'm heading out now. Want to come along?"

In response, Kyubey jumped on her shoulder. Mami smiled and headed out the door.

She decided to go to the east end of town tonight. It was the grimmer part of town so she didn't really like going there, but wraiths thrived in such locations. She hadn't been there recently and so was sure there would be quite a few there now. As confirmation, her soul gem starting glowing when she arrived. She quickly transformed into her uniform and jumped onto the top of a townhouse. She could immediately see a wraith as it "meditated" and collected energy. Not one to waste an opportunity, she summoned a dozen large rifles and sniped it to pieces in a flash.

Her soul gem was flashing more fiercely now, positively thrumming with warning. Mami carefully scanned the area but couldn't see anything. What was more surprising was that there was virtually no miasma in the air. When her soul gem alerted this much, it usually meant there was a large swarm of wraiths nearby, but that also usually meant they were polluting the air with their miasma too.

"Kyubey, there are wraiths nearby right?"

Kyubey's tail swished as it sat at her feet. "Your soul gem would seem to indicate that."

"Then why is there no miasma? The only haze I see is smog."

Kyubey's tail flicked again before it looked up at her. "I can't be sure, but has this ever happened to you before?"

It had indeed. Mami thought back to the wraith Yuno had killed when they first met. The miasma had completely cleared up and yet that wraith had been there.

_What does it mean? Are they evolving? Adapting? I always thought they created the miasma to cloak themselves, but what if that isn't it?_

Her gem stopped flashing completely. This usually meant there were no wraiths, but then again, so did no miasma. _This happened that time too. My soul gem should have been alerting. What's going on?_

"Kyubey, can wraiths cloak themselves from soul gems?"

"I've never heard of it happening, but I wouldn't say it's impossible."

First her soul gem alerting frantically with no miasma present even with a wraith nearby, and then her soul gem stopping altogether. _I don't like this. _She picked up Kyubi and prepared to jump to a radio tower.

Her soul gem blasted back to life, pulsing crazily. She could feel heat coming off of it, something that had never happened before. She summoned a rifle in her free hand, turning in the direction her soul gem indicated.

She strained her eyes but couldn't see anything in the darkness between the buildings. _Strange. It's much darker over there._ _Miasma maybe?_

The darkness moved, and Mami felt her heart leap into her throat.

A giant figure about five times the size of a normal wraith stepped out from between the buildings. It was covered in a writhing shroud of miasma making it hard to look at or see any details, save for it's head. To Mami, it looked like one of the demons you might see in a temple. Long, sharp fangs jutted out of it's mouth, wreathed by a bristly beard. Glowing tattoos covered it's face in a tribal pattern. It's eyes, like a normal wraith, were masked by a light mosaic but with red and black lights instead of the normal, brighter colors. An ornate hat with fierce spikes crowned it's head. Four arms jutted out of it's body where normally there would be none. It turned it's head, allowing Mami to see another face on the back. The figure let out a thunderous, ear-splitting roar.

Mami's hands started shaking and her heartbeat went crazy. _What is it what do I do so strong the power what do I do can't be real fight or flee what do I do miasma shield can I hurt it what do I do that face what do I do what do I do what-_

"Mami."

Mami snapped her attention to Kyubey who was studying her. It looked back at the giant. "We should run."


	4. Chapter 4: Promotion

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to _Mirai Nikki_ or _Puella Magi Madoka Magica_.

Chapter 4: Promotion

Mami took deep breaths to get her heart under control. The...thing (_a super wraith, no...a demon_) wasn't paying attention to her. The energy from its presence alone scared her. Kyubei was right. Retreating was the best option. It hadn't noticed her. Escaping would be simple. Just turn and run. She could come back with reinforcements, set up traps elsewhere, prepare herself.

The demon clasped it's four hands together, two at a time. An evil, red light started emanating from from both sets of hands. The mosaic covering its face brightened in intensity and darkened in hue. It separated its hands, each palm now glowing with red energy, and extended them to two different buildings. Screams immediately rent the air as souls were ripped from bodies and sucked into it's hands.

Mami stood frozen. Hundreds of people were dying before her eyes. She looked at Kyubei. It sat watching her silently, unmoving except for its tail which slowly swished back and forth. Its red eyes bore into hers. She looked back at the demon.

_Just turn and run. It's the smart move. It's not being a coward._

The demon let out another deafening roar.

_No sense in dying. Run._

The demon lowered its open mouth to the street. A bright light shot out and the few people gathered outside fell dead.

_Just run._

It walked down the road to a new set of buildings and clasped its hands again.

_Run._

Mami lowered her head and clenched her hands over her chest as hard as she could. She shut her eyes tight and focused every ounce of willpower she had on making her body still. A tear escaped her eye and ran down her cheek and onto the ground. She took a deep breath.

She pulled off her ribbon tied at her neck. Kyubei watched her intently as she summoned a huge flintlock pistol. "TIRO FINALE!" she screamed as loud as she could. An enormous blast erupted from the gun and a white hot bullet of magic shot towards the demon. The bullet struck it in the shoulder, leaving a smoldering wound. The demon turned and noticed her.

She somersaulted high into the air and summoned the pistol again. "TIRO FINALE! TIRO FINALE!" Two more shots struck the demon, leaving smoking craters in its torso. It lumbered over to her. She had its complete focus. _Good. Follow the birdie._

Mami wanted to minimize casualties as much as possible. She hopped further away to another building then another. She turned around to see if it was still following her.

An enormous hand swiped at her. She dropped flat on her back just in time for it to miss her. The gust from the hand blasted her, forcing her to roll with it. She jumped up and leaped to a building further away, sparing a glance behind her as she glided through the air. The demon's form seemed to blur and lose focus before it vanished into a spool of dark energy and appeared below Mami. As she landed, it did it again and appeared right behind her.

Mami wasted no time and jumped again just as two clasped hands smashed down behind her. The shock wave threw off her trajectory but she managed to readjust to the building she was aiming at. She looked back again but didn't see the demon. Frantically, she looked in each direction but couldn't find it.

A huge fist smashed into her from beneath. All the air in her lungs immediately left and a numbing pain spread over her body as she went soaring even higher into the air. _Can't black out. You black out you die. Focus focus focus focus..._

She summoned two ribbons and tethered them to a rod on top of a building. She made them tight and used them to sling herself at breakneck speed around the building. As she cleared the turn, she dispelled the ribbons and flung herself like a trebuchet shot. _Just a bit further. You can do it Mami. Focus._

She didn't dare look back. As soon as she landed she jumped away. She could see her destination now. _Just a bit further._ _Almost there. Just a bit more._ She gathered all the energy she could in her legs and ran as fast as she could. The ground tore up behind her from her magical energy. She was vaguely aware of people screaming as she sped by but she couldn't afford to pay attention. _Almost. Almost._

The texture and smell of the air changed. She called on more magical energy and leaped into the air. There it was. The coast. She landed at the far end of the wharf. She bent over and rested her hands on her knees while gasping for air. Her heart was racing from fear and exhaustion. She gulped in as much air as she could.

A huge crash came from behind her. She turned to see the demon towering behind her, an overturned truck behind it. It stood silently, as if contemplating her. Mami hated how the mosaic covered its eyes. It made it all the more sinister not being able to discern its emotion.

Standing at the edge of the wharf, Mami was betting on it not being able to warp next to her without falling into the water. There was also no-one this late in the evening still here. Mami wouldn't have to worry about more people dying.

Mami shot magical energy through her body to dull the pain even more and give herself new stamina. She had to keep moving. Panic was still at the edges of her mind, waiting for an opening to pounce on her and destroy what little resolve she had. Worry, doubt, fear, terror, despair, hopelessness. She couldn't stop. Stopping would be death.

She summoned her giant pistol again and lined up her shot. It was impossible to miss with the demon so close. It's huge form made an easy target. "TIRO FINALE!" The bullet was almost instantaneously at the demon but it had sensed her attack and raised its hand defensively so that the bullet struck the back. Yellow magic ground against black miasma before the bullet dissipated into nothingness. The demon roared and advanced on her.

This was almost too much for Mami. Her strongest attack deflected without a scratch. The panic was closing in, her breathing losing control.

"NO!" she screamed and summoned as many rifles as she could. Thousands of rifles filled the air in a great storm above their heads. She brought her fist down and they all opened fire on the demon. One rifle would have done nothing, a hundred would have been a minor nuisance, but even the demon couldn't ignore thousands of magical bullets raining down on it. It stopped and shielded its body with its four arms. A constant stream of bullets kept it in place and made its miasma writhe wildly. It's tattoos and mosaic were flashing fiercely. Smoke started rising from its arms.

As the rifles above faded, Mami summoned hundreds more in a circle around the demon. She could feel her magic being tainted. She had used so much already. If she kept this up, she knew she would be consumed. But she couldn't think of that. She had to keep moving. Stopping would be death. She clapped her hands hard and the rifles shot into the demon's body. Still pinned down from above, the bullets smashed into its miasma shield. Small flashes of light started showing to indicate wounds on its body.

Mami used as much magical energy as she dared and summoned an even bigger pistol than before. If her previous best attack couldn't harm it, then this would. "TIRO FINALE DEFINITIVO!" More power than she had ever released at once exploded out of the gun. An almost impossibly bright yellow bullet streaked towards the demon and exploded into its chest. Miasma burst out in a writhing cloud before fading away, leaving a giant hole in the demon. Only a light miasma cloud covered it now.

Mami collapsed on the ground. Her magical clothes faded until she was wearing her normal clothing. Her magical gem materialized in front of her. Summoning what little energy she had, Mami looked at it. Black with just a tiny glimmer of yellow left. If she used anymore, she knew that would be the end.

The demon roared louder than it had ever before. Red light was poring out of the hole in its chest as well as uncountable smaller holes in its torso and on its arms. It put a hand over its chest wound and roared louder. It turned to Mami. She made eye contact with where its eyes should be. It raised its leg and took a slow step to her.

Tears unconsciously streaked down her face as she shut her eyes tight to stop from crying. It hadn't been enough. Even using all the strength she had, the demon still wasn't dead. And now she was trapped by the weakness inherent in her strategy. Coming here had made it so the demon couldn't warp, but it also made it impossible for her to escape. Even if she dared use what little magic she had left, there was nowhere to run. This had been a final stand.

The demon took another step. The light from its chest was even brighter now. It was possibly mortally wounded, but Mami knew it wouldn't die before it could finish her off. In a few moments it would be close enough to crush her. She felt resolve flood into her. She wouldn't die crying. She would die looking at it, eyes open and ready.

For what seemed like an impossibly long time, she watched it advance towards her. It was within arms reach now. It reared back and let out a deafening roar. Mami was indifferent to it now. She was ready to accept her fate. It clasped two hands together into a fist and raised it high above its head, ready to deal the coup de grâce.

A blaze of red swept past the demon's hands. The demon let out a roar of pain. A bright streak of red light poured out of its hands.

A pair of feet clad in earthy red boots landed in front of Mami. She raised her head up to see Kyoko with her back turned to her. Kyoko looked behind her down at Mami with a smile. "Just gonna roll over and die like that? Guess I need to give you a kick in the butt. Right after we take care of this thing."

_We?_ Mami looked at the demon. A figure with pink hair and a black cloak was in front of it. _Yuno._ Yuno raised her sword and vanished before appearing in the same spot. A gigantic wound appeared on one of its legs. It collapsed to one knee, using one of its arms to support itself. It brought one of its already injured hands over to try and smash Mami, but Kyoko was ready. She jumped up and pierced its palm through with her spear. She then flipped around, forcing its hand to turn, and slammed the hand and spear into the ground, rooting it in place. The demon only had one hand free now and was trying to crush Yuno with it.

Yuno seemed to effortlessly glide away from the demon's hand, almost as if she wasn't trying. It would be a hairsbreadth away from her but never quite make contact. She led its hand along in an elegant dance until it had overextended itself. She then vanished only to appear on top of its shoulder. She raised her sword and appeared on the other shoulder before flourishing her sword to shake off any residue. A bright red line appeared running across the demon's head between its mouth and nose. The top half started sliding off with a brilliant red light shining out. Yuno casually dropped down to the ground and walked away towards Mami without looking back as the demon collapsed and faded away.

Mami couldn't stop tears from flowing out as Yuno and Kyoko crouched down next to her. She felt like her heart was going to burst from relief. Kyoko rubbed her head with an expression of embarrassment to try and comfort her. After a few minutes, Mami finally got herself under control. She sat up with their help and took some deep breaths. When she opened her eyes again she noticed Kyubei was now in front of her.

"I am relieved you are alright Mami," Kyubei said. "When I saw you wanted to instigate your suicidal attack I immediately sent word to Yuno and Kyoko to come help you."

Kyoko glared at Mami. "I hope you're happy. I had to run across two whole cities to get to you. What made you stupid enough to think you could take that thing on by yourself? You really are an idiot sometimes." Even though she was being harsh, Mami could tell she had been very worried.

"Yuno," Mami said, "I thought you were out of town. How did you make it here?"

"I was on my way back when Kyubei contacted me about your predicament. I came here as fast as I could and met Kyoko just as I was about to arrive."

Yuno picked up Mami's soul gem, and Kyoko gaped at it. "What?!" Kyoko said. "You almost used all your magic! Were you trying to kill yourself?"

"I was trying to protect the people."

Kyoko facepalmed. "Not this crap again. Look, saving people is great and all, but you can't help anyone if you're dead! First priority is always staying alive."

Mami knew she meant well but she couldn't help from shuddering. All those people killed. "I had to do something Kyoko. Hundreds were dying. I hope you never have to see what I saw."

"Tch! I've seen plenty to haunt me for life. You've got to be more careful!"

Mami smiled at her. "I know. I will." She was just happy to be alive and happy that Kyoko was concerned about her. She looked at Yuno who seemed to be deep in thought. "Yuno?" Yuno turned to her with an intense expression before it quickly vanished to be replaced by a concerned look. She crouched down and gave back Mami's soul gem before gently holding her hand.

"Mami, can you move? Are you seriously hurt?"

Mami moved her arm a bit but stopped from the pain. "Yes, I can move a bit. I should be fine after some rest."

"But your soul gem...hold on." Yuno vanished, appeared where the demon had been, picked something up, and reappeared. She held a large sphere about the size of a pool ball. It was blacker than anything Mami had ever seen. It seemed to swallow the light around it.

Kyubei hopped onto Yuno's shoulder to get a better look at it. "How interesting. It seems to be a type of incredibly condensed miasma."

Yuno handed the sphere to Mami. Kyubei watched her as she brought her soul gem to the sphere. Almost immediately, the blackness in her soul gem was sucked into the sphere leaving her soul gem sparkling. Mami looked at it in disbelief. "Wha...how did it do that? That would have taken about 8 cubes!"

Kyubei's tail flicked back and forth. "Like I said, it is highly condensed miasma, more than probably 20 cubes. That gigantic thing was obviously the result. I wonder how it could have formed?"

Mami felt re-energized a bit. She slowly stood up with Kyoko and Yuno's support. Her body felt more soar than it had her entire life combined. "Let's go back to my place and we can talk about all this." She tried to take a step and felt her leg give out. Kyoko caught her before she fell.

"Tch!" Kyoko said. She picked up Mami and carried her in her arms. "Yuno, keep watch as we head back. I won't be able to do much fighting like this."

Yuno nodded and jumped away to land on a building nearby. Kyoko carefully ran after her with Kyubei following.

/人◕‿‿◕人\

Kyoko gently laid Mami down on her bed. Yuno prepared some mint tea for them while Kyubei laid down at Mami's feet. Kyoko took off Mami's shoes and covered Mami with her blanket. She then sat down on the sofa just as Yuno walked over to give her some tea. Mami was aching too much to want any right now.

Kyoko gulped down her tea before talking to Kyubei. "Mami's exhausted. Let's wait until tomorrow before we discuss this."

Kyubei raised its head to look at Kyoko. "We don't know when another one of those things-"

"Demon," Mami said.

Kyubei's ears wiggled. "When another demon may appear. You girls need to be ready."

Kyoko scowled, but Yuno calmly sipped her tea before setting her cup down. "Mami," Yuno said, "take it easy and tell us everything you learned."

Mami slowly recounted first arriving at the district, the strange behavior of her soul gem and the miasma, the demon appearing, the chase, and the fight before the other girls showed up. Kyubei added his verification of the first few events.

"This is quite a development," Kyubei said. "More powerful creatures being created that are linked to the miasma."

Kyoko had gotten up near the end and was now raiding a cupboard. "What do you suppose caused it?"

Kyubei tilted its head. "My best theory is that this "demon" was created from the combination of many wraiths."

Kyoko walked back over while chewing on a muffin. "They can combine now?"

Yuno looked into her tea and swirled it around. "That makes sense. The soul gem flashing from the many wraiths before they merged. Then it quieting as they formed before detecting them again when they became a demon."

Mami raised her head a bit. "What about the miasma?"

"I theorize," Kyubei said, "that as they prepare to merge, the wraiths collect whatever remaining life force they can and then draw in their miasma around them. When they become the demon, the miasma forms a shield for their body."

Mami sighed and put her head down again. Demons, combining, miasma, hundreds dead, with possibly more demons out there right now. She thought back to when she had only been worrying about the increase in wraiths and let out a laugh that surprised everyone else in the room. "So what are we going to do?" Mami said as she stared at the ceiling. "I'll have to wait about a week before I can patrol again, but even then I don't know how we're supposed to fight those things."

Kyoko finished her muffin before answering. "We took out that one pretty easily after you weakened it. Two of us together should be able to take one out fine, especially if we prepare ourselves."

Mami sat up, surprising Kyoko, and stared intently at her. "What about 2? What about 10?" She looked at them all. "How can we be ready to fight something that strong? Is this happening everywhere? What if a horde converges on us? What then?"

"As far as I know," Kyubei said, "no other demons have appeared to other magical girls. I will let you know when that happens."

Yuno finished her tea before speaking to the room. "We simply have to find out how they started forming and see if we can stop it," she said in a matter-of-fact manner. "In the meantime, let's prepare as best we can."

Mami sighed, nodded, then laid back down. "Yes, that sounds good. Kyoko?" Kyoko looked at her. "I know I don't have any right to ask this of you, but would you please stay here and patrol with Yuno until I recover?"

Kyoko looked at her for a moment before grinning and shrugging. "Might as well. You lot seem like you need all the help you can get."

Mami smiled. "Thank you. I need to rest, but visit me tomorrow to tell me what you've learned."

Kyubei jumped down from the bed. "Of course." They cleaned up and left, turning off the lights as they went.

Mami fell asleep immediately.


	5. Chapter 5: Analysis

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to _Mirai Nikki_ or _Puella Magi Madoka Magica_.

Chapter 5: Analysis

Kyoko munched impatiently on candy as Yuno inspected gourmet treats behind a glass wall. Kyoko couldn't believe the price of the sweets here. She loved candy but was content with the everyday stuff, none of this fancy crap. Yuno had insisted though, so here they were in their second gourmet candy shop. Thankfully, the last shop had sold some chocolate covered gummies at what Kyoko thought was an almost reasonable price.

It had been four days since they'd started working together. Surprisingly, they had not encountered a single wraith the first day, which Kyubey theorized was due to the demon absorbing all of them when it was formed. Their short reprieve didn't last when they ran into lots of wraiths the days after. If what Mami had said was true, it was probably in part due to the destruction caused by the demon increasing the negative feelings in the city.

Kyoko didn't like that at all and had been thinking about it all day. As she mulled over it now, she realized something. She looked at Kyubey who was seated next to Yuno, invisible to everyone but the magical girls. _"Kyubei,"_ Kyoko said telepathically to it. Kyubei's ears perked up and it turned to her.

"_Yes Kyoko?"_

"_These demons. We're definitely going to get more aren't we?"_

Kyubei's tail flicked back and forth. _"How do you figure that?"_

Kyoko slowly chewed on her candy. _"Each demon created is crazy powerful compared to the wraiths we've encountered, so they will most likely be able to cause major damage before we destroy them. That will make many more wraiths...which will make more..." _She was hesitant to finish.

"_Demons,"_ Kyubei finished for her. _ "Yes, it is not just a new enemy. It is a new cycle. Negativity to wraiths to demons to more negativity. I am impressed you found that connection already. I expected it would take you much longer."_

Kyoko glared at it. _"Wait, so you already knew?"_

"_Of course. It was obvious after the first demon showed itself."_

"_Then why didn't you tell us?"_

"_You were already preparing to face new demons. Why would it matter knowing about this new cycle?"_

Kyoko was still angry. She directed her thoughts at Yuno. _"Yuno, doesn't this bother you?"_

Yuno seemed to not hear her. She was crouched down, staring fixedly at two different candies. She then quickly stood up and ordered both of them. Kyoko impatiently waited for her as she got her purchase and came over to Kyoko. Yuno was smiling at the bag which contained her goodies. They all three walked out before Kyoko tried talking to her again. "Did you hear what we were talking about?"

Yuno made eye contact with her. Her face was blank and eyes hollow for a second before forming into a happy expression. "Yes. That just means we will have to be ready right? We'll get as many wraiths as we can before they become demons and take care of any demons that still form anyway."

Kyoko wasn't sure if she was really that confident or if she didn't quite understand what Kyoko had just realized. "Look Yuno. You're tough, I'll give you that, but if this cycle keeps up then down the road we could start facing demons every night. I see what Mami was talking about now. One demon put her out of commission for a week. If that happened and four more demons showed up as we recovered, we'd be completely screwed."

Yuno smiled. "Then we just have to make sure we are strong enough to face a demon every night."

Kyoko looked at her bewildered. "It's not like we can just get stronger like that. We only have a finite amount of magic and even then, bad injuries take time to heal even with magic."

Yuno's expression blanked again before turning thoughtful and sly. "Don't you remember though? The wraiths drop concentrated miasma which instantly clears soul gems without being used up completely. Once you have one of those, you're potential magical ability increases dramatically."

Kyubei chimed in, "Yuno is right. Those spheres allow for much more powerful magical abilities from you girls; however, now there is a greater trial in being a competent magical girl. You must be able to defeat a demon without having a sphere. Once you get a sphere, facing a demon should not be nearly as difficult." It wiggled its ears. "However, I strongly recommend never going against more than one demon at a time, even with a sphere."

"So as long as you can defeat a demon," Yuno said, "there shouldn't be a problem. Unless...you're worried you can't do that Kyoko." Kyoko detected concern for her laced in the last sentence, which immediately riled up her pride.

"Of course I can! In fact, I say that the next few nights we patrol, we separate so we can cover more ground. If you run into a demon and need my help then contact me through Kyubei." She left unsaid that she would never need to contact Yuno.

Yuno smiled cheerily at her. "OK! Now let's go to that clothing store over there next."

Kyoko bit hard on her candy and reluctantly followed her.

/人◕‿‿◕人\

"You don't like her? Why?" Mami said. She was seated on her armchair with a blanket covering her and a cup of tea nearby. Half-finished school work lay scattered on the coffee table in front of her.

Kyoko thought of how to phrase her thoughts. "She's...odd. I can't nail down her personality, and I never know what she's thinking or planning."

Mami frowned. "Not everyone is planning to hurt you Kyoko."

Kyoko ran her hand through her hair. "That's not what I mean. Well, not exactly. It's like..." She opened and closed her hands as she searched for the words she needed. "Like she chooses a face to put on depending on what she wants, and I can't figure out what she wants at all."

Mami took a sip of tea. "You just need to get to know her better. She just thinks before she speaks is all."

Kyoko sighed angrily and laid down on the couch. She didn't want to tell Mami this, but ever since she had first seen Yuno, she'd had an uneasy feeling about her. Like a warning bell went off in her head. Usually, she would give someone, especially a magical girl, the benefit of a doubt and see how she acted and what she said. With Yuno, it had been different, and she wasn't sure why. Whatever the reason, she made sure to listen to her instincts.

The problem was, even if she didn't trust Yuno, she didn't know anything about Yuno. How was she so strong? What's her motive? She was searching for a rational foundation for her mistrust, but right now she had nothing. It had been one of the reasons she had wanted to challenge her to a sparring match. Fighting communicated a lot about your opponent. As it was, she kept her thoughts to herself and made sure to hide them from Mami, and especially from Yuno. If Yuno really was dangerous then it wouldn't do any good to have her know Kyoko was suspicious.

"Where's Yuno now?" Mami asked.

"She's out of town for the day." Yuno had told her last night after patrol that she would be gone all day and come back in the evening, not caring to explain where or why. _Another reason to mistrust her._ She still had no real reason for her suspicions though.

She got up to eat some cake and decided to switch subjects. "Mami, do you still have that miasma sphere?"

"Yes." Mami summoned the sphere into her hand. The room seemed to get a bit dimmer from how utterly black it was. "I think I could use this many more times so long as I don't use as much energy as I did before."

"I'd say you're right." Kyoko filled her in on what Kyubei had told her the other day when they had been discussing the demons.

Mami shuddered involuntarily. "That's...a horrifying test to put magical girls through. Unless girls who make a contract get stronger than they do now, I foresee many girls failing...and dying."

"Yes, but those who survive will be much, much stronger. Even you Mami. With your sphere, you can use magic much more than you normally would and keep collecting spheres."

Mami's eyes glazed over and she tightened the blanket around her, staring off into space. "I don't...want to ever go through that again."

Kyoko grimaced. She hadn't meant to make her remember her near-death experience. _But she needs to prepare herself to fight more demons._

She walked over to Mami. Kyoko wasn't sure how to best comfort her so she tentatively reached out and put her arm around her. She let out a small sigh of relief when Mami calmed down and leaned against her. "Hey don't worry Mami. You're strong, and with that sphere, dem...uh," she stopped talking as she felt Mami tense up from that word. "Um. Those...things won't be a match for you."

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Mami was back to her regular self. She straightened up and Kyoko, feeling relieved, let her go. "You're right," Mami said. "I can face them again and protect the people here. Especially when I have you and Yuno to help."

Kyoko pursed her lips a bit at Yuno's name but quickly changed it to a smile. "Totally! We've got your back."

Mami smiled and leaned back into her chair. "Thank you Kyoko. You're doing so much for Yuno and I. You're a good friend."

Kyoko smiled and shoved her suspicions deep down so that Mami could enjoy their time together and rest.

/人◕‿‿◕人\

It was late in the evening. Kyoko, Yuno, and Kyubey met up at a radio tower in the south part of town. They had seen on the news that there had been several disappearances here the day before. Kyoko transformed and rested her spear against her shoulder. "Alright, we'll split up again like last night and meet here in four hours. Sound good?"

Yuno responded by transforming. "No one's patrolled here in awhile. Be careful."

Kyoko smirked. "Don't worry about me. Just remember that if you get into too much trouble, let me know."

Yuno smiled politely at her. "Of course." Kyubei hopped onto her shoulder and then she jumped out of sight.

Kyoko frowned before sighing and jumping away herself. There were quite a few buildings here so she stuck to the high ground and jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Yuno was right though. No one had patrolled here for at least a week. If a demon was going to form anywhere, it was going to be here. Part of her was thrilled at the chance of facing a demon solo. She could show she had what it took to deal with these new threats and become much more powerful than before. The other part of her was trying not to panic from fear.

An hour passed. She hadn't seen a single sign of miasma and her soul gem hadn't activated at all. The expectation was wearing on her nerves. It was like how she had felt the first night she and Yuno had gone out and not found anything. She thought she would have felt rested after not having to fight at all, but the constant worry had worn her out. She stopped on a roof and forced herself to calm down and breathe. _You're the strongest magical girl. No wraith or demon can take you out. Just relax._ Tension started leaving her body.

Her soul gem flashed. She looked around everywhere. Not a sign of miasma anywhere. _Not a good sign._ Her soul gem wasn't radiating like Mami said hers had though. _Maybe it's further away?_ She strained her eyes to see if she could see any giant figures moving about.

A large crash sounded from far away behind her. She looked back to see a cloud of dust rising from a smaller building. A giant figure was visible through the cloud.

Kyoko's heart started beating faster. _Ok. You got this. You know what you're fighting. Time to show everyone what you're made of._

She dashed off towards the shadow. Excitement started coarsing through her body the closer she got. Her heart was pounding in her ears. _Closer. Closer!_

She stopped at a building overlooking the area. The demon was clearly visible now. It had its mouth lowered to the ruined building with a bright light blasting out. Kyoko could see bodies lying everywhere. She stayed in the shadows so that the face in the back of the demon's head couldn't see her.

The demon finished up with the building and moved further down the road. Kyoko surreptitiously followed it from above. She wasn't Mami. She would wait for a clear chance of dealing a critical blow to the demon. It may cost a few people their lives, but it was better than throwing herself at the demon without a plan and dying, letting many more people die.

The demon moved to a large housing complex. Kyoko positioned herself so that she was almost directly over its head, nimbly avoiding its sight. The demon put its four hands together in pairs, evil energy glowing from between its palms. _Now, while it can't defend itself!_

Kyoko surged magical energy into her body, giving herself incredible physical strength, and leaped down. Wind streamed by her as she dropped several stories, positioning her spear point down. The demon sensed her approach right before she attacked, but by then, it was too late. She slammed her spear with all her strength into its head through its hat.

The demon roared in pain as the spear pierced it. It swung its head wildly to shake her off, but Kyoko clung on tight. She twisted the spear, and it roared out again, red light leaking from the wound. _Let's finish this!_ Her spear unfolded into a chain, the point still imbedded in it's head. She jumped down with the chain and ran across the demon's neck. It tried to grab her with its hands, but she dodged out of the way and managed to wrap its neck around. She jumped back on top of its head and pulled tight while shooting magical energy into the spear. The chain constricted around the demon's neck. It flailed at it with its hands, but its hands were too big and the chain too fine. It couldn't grab it.

"Time to die!" Kyoko yelled. She made herself even stronger and pulled as hard as she could. The demon flailed at her but couldn't knock her away. _This is it!_

The demon stopped moving completely. _Wha-_ Before she knew what happened, miasma blasted out everywhere from the demon's body and launched the spear out of its head and the chain off its neck. Kyoko went flying into the air. She tried to orient herself but slammed hard against a building. Instinctively, she slammed her spear into the building and slowed her fall before stopping completely, dangling in the air.

She swung away and landed on a rooftop, stumbling a bit as she did. She stood up clutching her left arm. It felt numb, but she would live. She looked down at the demon. It's miasma was shifting about it like a crazy storm but was much thinner than before. She noticed that some of the tattoos on its face had faded and light poured from the hole in its head. _Hurt but not dead._

She readied her spear when suddenly the demon's form shook and then dissolved into a black spool. Kyoko readied herself. _Behind? Above?_ A fist slammed down from her left, the shock wave sending her flying again. She slammed through a wall and landed in an empty kitchen. Her head was spinning. She slapped herself to recover and looked through the hole. She got a glimpse of the demon near the building she was at before it dissolved again.

_Move!_ She hardened her body with magic and leaped blindly through a window. Two hands smashed together where she had been moments before. Kyoko jumped off walls, trying to make her direction as random as possible. She landed in some shadows, panting. She heard the demon roar and peeked out. It was turning its head everywhere, searching for her.

Kyoko rested against a wall, recovering herself. The demon was turning into a much tougher fight than she had thought. _No other choice then_.

She focused her energy in her mind. When she had first gotten her powers, she had been able to charm people and influence their mind, with her most powerful move being able to make the enemy see illusions of her. After a tragedy with her family, she had lost those powers for awhile, but over time and with lots of soul searching, she had been able to bring it back. She had kept it a secret from everyone and hadn't used her illusion magic in battle, preferring to keep it as a trump card in case she had to fight a particularly powerful opponent, like a predatory magical girl. This fight was too much though.

_Kyubey's not here. Should still be a secret._ She focused her eyes on the demon and released the energy in her mind. It stopped moving for a moment and then seemed to move a bit more sluggishly. She had dulled its perception. She focused again and poured out more magical energy. A rose red field formed around her and copies of herself stepped away from her body. They all got ready, spear in hand. Kyoko mentally commanded them and they jumped in different directions.

The demon spotted an illusion and turned towards it before seeing another. It turned to this one and its body frame began wavering before another Kyoko copy appeared at its side. The demon swung at it, but the copy dodged out of the way. Kyoko copies started jumping all around it. The demon roared loudly and flailed its arms. A copy got hit and disappeared. The others kept dodging out of the way as best they could, but the demon was getting more enraged and moving faster.

Kyoko positioned herself. _Can't blow this chance._ She waited, directing her copies as best she could. Another got hit and vanished. _Come on..._ The four remaining copies coordinated themselves and jumped on either side of the demon. It swung all its arms out to hit them simultaneously.

_Now!_ She poured almost all her magical energy into her arm and spear and flung it as hard as she could. A sonic boom exploded as it flew to the demon. Before it could react, the spear pierced into its face and exploded out the the other side. Wordlessly , it fell onto its knees and then fell forward with a crash, slowly dissolving as it fell before disappearing completely.

Kyoko fell onto her hands and knees panting. She had used practically all her magical energy and the wounds on her body were starting to scream at her. Fortunately, she hadn't been hurt nearly as bad as Mami. _No wonder she got thrashed! She focused too much on leading it away instead of just killing the thing._ She slowly stood up and walked over to where the corpse had been. A huge feeling of accomplishment and pride ran through her as she picked up the miasma sphere. She held it above her head and laughed.

"I did it! Me! I truly am a magical girl!"

/人◕‿‿◕人\

Kyubey and Yuno watched Kyoko from a distance. Yuno's legs were dangling off the side of a tall building.

"Hmm," Kyubey said as it sat next to her, "it seems her powers from before have returned. She must have overcome her mental block."

Yuno stretched. "So what does that mean?"

"She can enchant people. Charm them. More easily influence people and even make people see illusionary copies of herself."

Yuno looked at Kyoko intently. "So she can do what we want?"

Kyubei flicked its tail. "With proper motivation."

An insane grin split Yuno's face.


	6. Chapter 6: Interpose

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to _Mirai Nikki_ or _Puella Magi Madoka Magica_.

Chapter 6: Interpose

Kyoko was brimming with pride. She had showed Kyubei and Yuno the miasma sphere from her victory over the demon, both of whom praised her battle prowess. Kyubei and Yuno hadn't encountered any wraiths or demons themselves, and they all concluded that there would likely be no more activity that night. Not content, Kyoko suggested they go tell Mami about her victory.

They arrived at Mami's apartment. Kyoko was surprised that there was a light on. _She's not asleep? I was going to just wake her for a minute, but she's not even sleeping. _She and Yuno transformed into their normal clothes, Kyoko making sure her sweater covered a huge bruise on her left arm. She then knocked on the door and heard the sound of someone scrambling and running to meet them. Mami thrust open the door, soul gem in hand, before seeing all of them present and sighing.

Mami turned her soul gem back into a ring and smiled. "So happy to see you again! Come in, come in!

_What was that all about? _Kyoko sauntered into the room and sat on the couch, spreading out her arms and crossing her legs. Yuno sat down seiza-style next to the coffee table with Kyubei next to her. Mami had some tea ready, chrysanthemum with sugar, and poured them each a cup before sitting down herself.

"How was it tonight?" Mami said. "You're done a bit earlier than I expected, but I'm glad you all are safe and uninjured."

Kyoko unconsciously moved her left arm so that it was further out of sight but smiled. "We decided to call it a night a bit early."

Yuno set down her tea. "Kyoko felt there was no need to continue patrolling. Kyubei and I felt she was correct."

Mami was surprised. "Oh? What happened?"

Kyoko had been waiting for this. She extended her hand. "This!" She summoned the miasma sphere and flicked it towards Mami who caught it.

Mami's face clouded up. "A-another demon..." She brightened up. "But you defeated it! I'm so proud of you! And both of you don't look like a wreck like I did." She said this with a smile. "So tell me what happened? How did you two do it?"

Kyoko's grin grew bigger. Now was her time to shine. "It was me. I was the one who slew it."

Mami grew confused. "What do you mean?"

"Miss Kyoko defeated the demon single handedly," Yuno said. "She is very formidable."

Kyoko proceeded to tell Mami all about her fight. How she encountered the demon, damaged it with a surprise attack, used clever tactics and wits to outmaneuver it, and finished it off with a super powerful spear throw. She purposely changed some important details so that none of them would know about her recovered illusionary powers, saying it was her tactical genius that left the demon wide open for her finishing move. Kyubey watched her intently as she recounted her battle.

"And then I went over to it's dissolving body and picked up that sphere," Kyoko said with a satisfied smile. "Now demons won't stand a chance against me!"

"Very impressive," Mami said. "And you Yuno? Were you waiting in case she needed back up?"

Yuno sipped her tea before answering. "I wasn't there at the time."

"What? Where were you?"

"On the other side of the district with Kyubey."

"You two weren't together?"

"No," Kyoko said. "We decided that we would split up from now on as we patrol so that we can cover more ground."

Mami's face darkned, but Kyoko didn't notice. "Yuno, you agreed with this?"

Yuno bowed her head. "I deferred to Kyoko's experience on the matter."

Kyoko shrugged. "What's the big deal Mami? We could still communicate through Kyubei so if we needed help then we could rush to the others aid. This way, more wraiths could be hunted down." Mami didn't reply. Her face was bowed down so Kyoko couldn't see her expression. "And also, we could have our test of facing a demon before gaining a sphere. It all works out great!"

Mami stood up. Everyone was surprised at this sudden movement. She strode over to Kyoko and slapped her across the face. Kyoko was stunned and rubbed her cheek.

"Wh-what was that for?" Kyoko looked at Mami and noticed her whole body was quivering and there were tears in her eyes.

Mami clenched her hands at her sides. "How could you be so irresponsible?"

Kyoko was confused. _Did she just go crazy?_ "What's your problem Mami?"

"Splitting up for patrols when you know, you KNOW, there are demons out there? Did you even think of what could happen?"

Kyoko got angry now and stood up. "We could hunt more wraiths this way, and if we needed each other we could-"

"You think I wanted you to patrol together to hunt more wraiths? I wanted you to protect each other! I didn't want either of you to have to fight a demon by yourself!" Mami's voice was growing louder. "Rush to help? What if you were too late? What if a demon surprise attacked you? One strong attack and you would be dead! Weren't you the one berating me before about facing a demon by myself?"

"And what about Yuno?" Mami said pointing at her. "She's not like us with years of experience. She just became a magical girl! You should watch over her!"

Kyoko started yelling back at Mami. "She's not some defenseless baby! Besides, she needs to prove she can take on a demon. It's the way things are now!"

"It's the way things are for magical girls who don't have a partner or friend! We have each other! We should help each other grow strong. You want to leave each other to the wolves and hope we survive. We don't need to do that!"

"I can take care of a demon on my own! It's not my fault if both of you can't!"

Mami leveled an icy glare at her. "Did you not get injured at all?"

Kyoko shifted uncomfortably a bit. "'Course not!" Yuno's eyebrows lifted a bit at this, but she didn't say anything.

"Really?" Mami said. She quickly slapped Kyoko's left arm, causing her to yelp in pain and hold her arm while grimacing. "I thought so. You've been moving that arm carefully this whole time. You got lucky that you didn't get injured more. Even that injury could be the difference between life and death if you face a demon before it's healed."

Kyoko gritted her teeth. "It's nothing I can't handle. At least I didn't almost die like you! Maybe you should think about yourself before worrying about others."

Mami's whole body was quivering. "I don't want you to split up with Yuno anymore. Understand?"

"Fine! I'd leave this city right now if I hadn't promised you a week so that you could recover." She spat out the last word derisively. "I'll patrol one more night, and then I'm leaving for good!"

She spun around and left before Mami could say another word, slamming the door on her way out.

/人◕‿‿◕人\

Mami was doing everything she could to keep her anger under control, but she couldn't help tears leaking out of her eyes as Kyoko walked away. When she slammed the door, Mami broke down crying and sat down with her head in her hands. She felt arms wrap around her and leaned into Yuno's body. Yuno patted her head and stroked her back as she let her anger and frustration pour out.

After a while, Mami regained her composure and tried wiping her face with her sleeve. Yuno handed her a box of tissues. Mami dried her eyes and blew her nose. "Sorry I'm behaving like this. I should be stronger."

"It's no problem Mami."

Mami hiccuped and smiled. "I just...ever since that demon showed up I've been worrying nonstop. When you came tonight I was afraid maybe...maybe something had happened to one of you. It's been eating me up inside."

Kyubei jumped into her lap and laid down while looking up at her. "Don't worry Mami. Both you and Kyoko are experienced magical girls, and Yuno is one of the strongest magical girls ever. Now that you know what to expect, these demons should be no problem."

Mami smiled and petted it. "You're probably right. It's just me being silly I guess." She stayed silent for a moment as she continued petting Kyubey. "I just wanted you and Kyoko to be there for each other so that they wouldn't have to experience what I did. I thought Kyoko understood that." She sighed. "I shouldn't have gotten so angry. Now I feel terrible."

"You're under a lot of stress," Yuno said. "Give each other some time and things should work out."

Mami smiled. "Hope so." She thought of something. "Kyubei, have their been other demon sightings?"

"Yes there have. Just this week demons have been sighted in other parts of the world. All of them have been dealt with, but unfortunately there were some casualties."

Mami shuddered. "It's getting worse then. We have to stick together." _I'll need to apologize as soon as Kyoko's anger has died down. I want her to be safe. I want all of us to be safe._

/人◕‿‿◕人\

_Last night and then I can ditch this place._ Kyoko was still simmering a bit from the night before. She knew that Mami was only worried about her and Yuno, but she couldn't bring herself to forgive her just yet. _I'll let her miss my company and then she'll beg me to come back._

Per Mami's demand, she and Yuno were together this time. Kyubei had suggested they go to the park at the center of town tonight and so they were patrolling the park and area around it. So far they had made quick work of a wraith but that was all. Yuno appeared to be in a pleasant mood. She was as often as not daydreaming as they were patrolling, and Kyoko swore she heard her humming someone's name every now and then.

Even though she still didn't have a reason for it, she didn't like Yuno. _Just another reason to get out of here as soon as I can. I'll let her and Mami enjoy each others company as much as they want._

As much as she tried to avoid it, her thoughts kept going back to Mami. _I wasn't wrong. All magical girls need to be able to take care of themselves. Mami's just being overprotective. She'll see I'm right sooner or later._ She couldn't shake the bit of guilt clinging to her though. She had thought of asking Kyubei what had happened after she left but couldn't let go of her pride enough to do it. _It'll be fine in the end. I know it._

"Kyoko."

"Hm?" Kyoko had been lost in thought and didn't realize Yuno had been trying to talk to her. "What? What is it?"

"Our soul gems," Yuno said.

Kyoko realized hers and Yuno's soul gems were glowing very brightly. _What? Another demon so soon? It can't be right, can it?_

"Be on your guard," Kyubei said. "It seems another demon is around here."

Yuno jumped to the top of a tree and surveyed the area. She pointed. "I see it. Over there."

_For real?_ "Let's go check it out."

They ran to where Yuno had seen it. Kyoko's heart was racing. _Are demons increasing this much?_ "Kyubei, have their been areas with demons coming this rapidly?"

"No. Only a few areas including this one have had two demons. This would be this first area with a third."

_Great._

They arrived at the area, their soul gems blazing now. The demon had moved further down, heading towards a strip mall. "Alright Yuno, ready to kill this thing?"

Yuno stepped in front of Kyoko with her back turned. "If you don't mind Kyoko, I want to handle this myself."

"What? Didn't you see Mami get mad because of me doing that?"

"This time I have you right here to immediately help. Besides, I want to test myself."

Kyoko thought of protesting but didn't want to sound like Mami. "Fine, but I'll step in as soon as I think you need it."

Yuno looked back and smiled. "Of course."

"Be very careful Yuno," Kyubei said. "Under no circumstances can you let yourself get knocked out."

"You worry too much Kyubei." She disappeared and then reappeared behind the demon. It's back face noticed her and it turned to face her. It smashed a hand down at her with lightning speed but she vanished before it hit.

_She's crazy fast._ Kyoko couldn't help being impressed. Yuno appeared on the demon's shoulder with a long cut along the demon's arm indicating her path. Bright red light poured out and the demon howled. Yuno jumped into the air and summoned a circle of knives around her. They blasted out from her and crisscrossed in a deadly storm all around the demon, keeping it distracted as they wore away it's miasma shield.

Yuno landed on the ground behind the demon and raised her sword in a two handed stance. She seemed to appear in three places at once and then collapsed back to where she started. The demon's wraith shield exploded off and three huge cuts marked its torso. It slammed down hard on the ground with all four arms, causing the ground to shake. The flying knives all vanished. Kyoko was caught off guard and stumbled, losing sight of Yuno.

_Where'd she go?_ She couldn't see her anymore. A bright light appeared and the demon raised itself up and let out an ear shattering howl. To Kyoko, it seemed like it was holding up a pair of red lights. _No. That's not it._ She looked down and saw two dark lumps on the ground with Yuno sitting on one of them, her sword leaning against her. Kyoko's eyes widened. _She cut off two of its hands when it slammed down._

Yuno let the demon scream before slowly getting up and walking towards it. The demon noticed her and opened its mouth. A bright light formed, pointed at Yuno. The demon reared back and blasted out the light at her. It was so bright and intense, Kyoko had to close her eyes. "Fascinating," she heard Kyubei say.

She blinked her eyes a bit and saw a gigantic crater. _Yuno? Where's Yuno!_ She readied her spear and started to charge the demon.

"Stop Kyoko," Kyubei said. She stopped. "Look."

She looked at the demon and noticed a figure sitting on top of its head. The demon seemed to be frozen in place. As Kyoko looked at it, a bright red line appeared from top to bottom. Yuno sat with her legs crossed as the demon's head started splitting beneath her. She vanished only to appear on the ground as they head split completely apart, obscuring everything with a bright light.

The demon crumpled to the ground and dissolved. Yuno flourished her sword and swept her hair back before returning to Kyoko, a black miasma sphere in her hand.

"Well? How did I do?"

/人◕‿‿◕人\

Kyubei felt a bit of satisfaction as it left to visit its other magical girls. Kyoko's dumbfounded expression was especially nice. Kyubei didn't feel emotions, but it did have impressions and thoughts allowing it to have motivation and curiosity.

Kyubei was a bit worried about Yuno's somewhat reckless behavior. It had to make sure she stayed safe and wasn't injured, and especially make sure she didn't get knocked out.

"Can't have that happening yet. Everything's still in motion; however, Yuno's definitely performing even better than I had expected. I'm glad I wasn't lied to." It's eyes flashed a bit. Yes, so far it was all going as planned.


	7. Chapter 7: Capture

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to _Mirai Nikki_ or _Puella Magi Madoka Magica_.

Chapter 7: Capture

"Mami, how about that one? Want to give it a try?" Yuno said while pointing.

Mami looked over. It was a very tall roller coaster. Her heart sank into her gut. She found it funny that she was fine jumping across buildings and up walls but was nervous about amusement park rides.

"I don't know Yuno. It's very tall..."

"Oh come on," Yuno said and grabbed her hand. "It'll be fun!"

Mami was dragged against her will to the line. It had been three weeks since Kyoko had left. She hadn't even said good-bye to Mami. Yuno had been the one to let her know after she came back from patrol that Kyoko had left town. Kyoko and Mami still hadn't spoken to each other. Mami really wanted to talk and smooth things out, but she was nervous and just a little bit stubborn if she was honest with herself.

_Next week. Next week for sure. That'll be enough time I think._

Their turn came up and they were strapped into the roller coaster. Yuno was smiling cheerfully next to her. It had been Yuno's idea to come today. She had just gotten back from being out of town again last night, and she had insisted Mami and her go out to the local amusement park. Mami was a bit surprised but had agreed.

Truth be told, even though amusement parks weren't really her thing, it had so far helped Mami ease the worries from her mind. A demon hadn't appeared for the past two weeks, which raised all kinds of worries and suspicions for Mami, but the city had been infested with wraiths. Paranoid about potential demons forming, Mami patrolled every night, even when Yuno couldn't make it. It was dangerous, but Kyubei had been right. The miasma sphere greatly augmented her powers. She could comfortably use much more magical power and almost instantaneously cleanse her gem, even during a fight. Wraiths stood little chance against her when she went all out; however, even the sphere wasn't limitless and was starting to run out of cleansing power. _I'll have to be more prudent with my magic, at least until I defeat another demon_. A shiver ran up her spine.

The roller coaster operator sounded the whistle to start and all thoughts of demons and soul gems were banished from Mami's mind. She gripped the sides of her overhead support tight. She sat there wondering when they were going to move when the roller coaster blasted out at breakneck speed and launched them up an almost vertical hill. Mami kept her eyes shut tight and maintained a death grip on the support. She was distantly aware of Yuno laughing gleefully.

The car lurched left and right, spinning wildly and throwing Mami's sense of direction completely on its head. She didn't dare open her eyes and felt her head spinning. She could feel the car rushing down to the ground and her stomach dropped. Then just like that, it was over almost as fast as it had begun.

Mami finally opened her eyes. She noticed her fingers were white from her grip. She pried them loose as the safety mechanisms were released. Yuno, all smiles, jumped up out of her seat and skipped to the photo booth. Mami shakily followed her.

"Hahaha! Look Mami, look! Haha! You look so terrified!"

Mami looked. She did indeed look terrified. Her eyes were closed as tight as they could go and she was huddled down into the seat. Yuno's eyes were also closed, but out of delight. She had her mouth open in a happy yell and her hands were held as high as they could go.

Yuno smiled. "So what'd you think? Fun?"

Mami gave a tight-lipped smile. "It was better than I thought it would be."

"Great! Want to go again?"

"L-let's not, okay?"

They decided to get something to eat. Mami waited for her stomach to settle a bit while Yuno ate a large meal with gusto. Mami was surprised Yuno could eat so much and still remain as thin as she was. _I wonder if being a magical girl has anything to do with that? _Unbidden, her thoughts turned to Kyoko and how she was always eating yet was also still thin. Mami frowned and sighed.

Yuno paused in her eating. "You having fun Mami?"

Mami started a bit then smiled at Yuno. "Yes actually. I rarely come to amusement parks, but I'm having a good time. Thanks for inviting me."

"Don't mention it."

Mami smiled and started eating, pondering as she did. Yuno had become even more friendly than before since Kyoko had left. They'd been to a movie together, been shopping, and done lots of other activities. Mami assumed it was because Yuno sensed Mami was upset about Kyoko and her having a falling out, but whatever the reason, Mami was happy that she and Yuno were becoming good friends. Mami didn't know how she could have avoided sinking into depression if she didn't have Yuno by her side.

_I really just have her and Kyubei now. At least until I make up with Kyoko._

Last night, she had considered contacting Kyoko today to try and break the ice, but Yuno's invitation had given her a reason to put that off. _Next week. Next week for sure._

Yuno had finished eating before Mami was halfway done. She got up to get a dessert. Mami battled in her mind while she was gone over bringing up magical girl matters while here. She knew Yuno brought them here to relax, but they hadn't had much time this week to talk about anything. Mami was busy with classes and Yuno was often out of town. Worry was building up inside her. As Yuno returned, the business side of her won out.

"Um, Yuno?"

Yuno looked up from her treat with her mouth full. "Hm?"

"I know we came here to relax and all, but I wanted to make sure you were okay with everything going on. I mean with the patrols and all that."

Yuno swallowed her dessert and smiled. "It's all fine. Those wraiths are nothing with you around. It's like you can just wave your hand and they all get destroyed."

Mami smiled a bit. "Yes, I guess you're right, but my miasma sphere is almost gone, and you still don't have one. Also, there hasn't been a demon since that one Kyoko destroyed."

"It's no problem. Even if your sphere runs out, together we can take out a demon easy."

"But if it runs out, we still have the problem of one of us not getting a sphere even if a demon appears."

"No worries! You're much more experienced than me. You'll get it so that you can easily take out any more demons that appear."

"But-"

Yuno held up her hand to stop her. "I can take care of myself so don't worry. Having you around makes me completely safe, so I'll be fine even without a sphere."

Mami sighed. Yuno was very powerful. It wasn't like Mami had to worry constantly about her, although she still did. Probably just her motherly instincts. "Yeah, you're right." She gave a small chuckle. "It's kind of funny though. I dread fighting a demon yet it bothers me just as much that one hasn't shown up since Kyoko's."

Yuno shrugged. "Guess she scared them off."

"Maybe," Mami said with a smile. "Still, I can feel trouble brewing. I hope the next one shows up before my sphere dries up."

Yuno looked out into the distance and smiled. "Depends on our opponent's next move."

"The demons?"

Yuno looked at her. Mami noticed her eyes were slightly hollow before becoming normal. "Yes. Of course. The demons."

/人◕‿‿◕人\

The wraith screamed as the bullet tore half its body away before dissolving. The miasma choked the air and cloaked the other wraiths' movements.

"Be on guard," Mami said. "There's at least a dozen left."

"They were likely going to form a demon tonight," Kyubei said. "They just needed a bit more life force."

"Then it's a good thing we stopped them," said Mami. She shot at a shape in the miasma but missed. Her mind was at war. She knew she could clear the area of miasma and wraiths with ease, but doing so might use up the remainder of her sphere. She was calculating whether she could use up a lot of magical energy and cleanse her soul gem after with the cubes from the wraiths.

"Are you sure? Perhaps you should let a demon form and then get the sphere from it?"

That idea had wormed its way into Mami's mind, but the image of hundreds dead from her first demon encounter had stopped it. "No, we will destroy them now."

Yuno was back to back with her as the wraiths encircled them like sharks around prey. She kept her sword ready and had parried back several wraiths already. She looked completely calm to Mami, but she wondered if Yuno was just putting on a brave face.

Mami made a decision. "Yuno!" Yuno turned her head a bit towards her. "I'm going to clear the fog for a moment. Think you can handle half the wraiths while it's clear?"

"Easily."

Mami nodded and spread her hands towards the sky. A ring of large guns formed above them and then fired into the miasma. Huge explosions rocked the ground. The lights from the blasts lit up the night and the shock waves pushed the miasma clear, revealing many of the wraiths.

Yuno sprang into action. A ring of knives shot out from her and dug into the wraiths too slow to dodge them. Yuno appeared behind a wraith and cut it in two, only to appear behind another wraith and eviscerate it before the first one had time to cry out.

Mami summoned a rifle in her hands and several in front of her. She took aim and shot a wraith. Her hands moved almost too fast to see and she had another rifle in her hand and shot again. Five shots in three seconds with two wraiths down.

The shock wave was dissipating and the miasma started rolling back in, but Yuno kept dancing among the wraiths. Another wraith split apart, then another. Yuno appeared above one and dropped down, slashing the wraith completely in two. A wraith leaped at her back from the miasma.

"Yuno!" Mami screamed a second too late. The wraith smashed into her and sent her flying, fortunately in Mami's direction. She landed in a heap. Mami lost concentration and a wraith almost smashed her. She shot it through the head.

"Oh good, she didn't lose consciousness," Mami heard Kyubei say. She shot at another wraith before looking back. Yuno was on the ground, lifting herself on her elbows. She coughed and blood splattered on the ground.

_No, Yuno!_ There were still too many wraiths and now Yuno was injured. Mami didn't have a choice. She let magical energy flow into her body. Her hands moved too fast to see now. An almost continuous stream of bullets went flying. Wraiths started dropping left and right, forcing the survivors to fall back into the miasma. Mami couldn't get a clear shot of them now. She summoned her miasma sphere and touched it to her soul gem. It flashed and was instantly clean again.

_No going back now._ She did a back handspring and landed over Yuno, protecting her. She summoned hundreds of rifles around them and shot a circle of death in all directions. Cries rang out from the miasma with several wraiths leaping out. Her hands flew again, shooting at the wraiths in the air. Bullet after bullet struck them all before they screamed and faded before even hitting the ground. Mami blasted the area with shock waves again, forcing back the miasma. Only a few injured wraiths remained, but they all attacked at once. Using two rifle stocks, she spun and smacked them all away, shooting them as they flew and finishing them off.

The miasma started clearing. Mami was panting hard but didn't rest. She knelt down next to Yuno and Kyubei. Yuno was breathing shallowly and blood had dribbled down the sides of her mouth and chin. Mami turned Yuno over and rested Yuno's head in her arms. Kyubei sat next to her head and studied her.

"W-will she be alright?"

Kyubei tilted its head. "That was quite a blow she took, but she should be fine with some rest."

Mami sighed with relief. "Good, good."

Yuno looked up into Mami's face. "Sorry for getting injured like that."

Mami stroked Yuno's hair. "Don't worry about it. It's fine. We're a team, remember? Together we can take on anything."

Yuno smiled up at her. "Thanks Mami."

They stayed like that for a minute before Yuno pushed herself up. "Alright, I can make it back home."

"You're not going back without me."

"No problem." Yuno wobbled. "Just give me a second and we'll go." Yuno knelt and rested against her sword.

"Take as long as you need." Mami secretly beckoned Kyubei over. It came and Mami tossed it something. Kyubei caught it in its ears and looked at it. It was Mami's sphere, completely used up.

/人◕‿‿◕人\

Mami laid back in her bed, staring at the ceiling, scattered school work nearby. She was exhausted. She had insisted Yuno stay in bed despite her protests and so had done the last two nights patrol on her own. There had been wraiths, but not as many as the night Yuno had been injured. Still, the amount of wraiths were steadily increasing and was wearing Mami down. She wanted to do whatever she could to prevent another demon from forming, but not having a miasma sphere made life much more difficult. She had to be much more cautious about using her magic.

She closed her eyes and tried to rest. She was half-tempted to ask Kyoko for help again, but her pride wouldn't allow her to look like she was begging Kyoko to come back to take care of problems in her own area. No, when she finally contacted Kyoko, it would be with her own area under control and not needing Kyoko's help. Mami hoped that time would come soon.

She hoped Kyoko was doing well too. She had broken down and asked Kyubei about Kyoko, but all it had said was that Kyoko was still alive and refused to further elaborate. Mami suspected Kyoko had instructed Kyubei to not tell her anything more about Kyoko's condition.

_Well fine! Be like that!_ Mami rolled over and gave her pillow a punch before trying to fall asleep.

"_Mami!"_ Kyubei's voice sounded in her head. She sat up immediately and saw Kyubei at her window.

"_Kyubei? What is it?" _Mami telepathically asked as she got out of bed.

"_It's Yuno. Hurry and transform."_

"_Why? What's going on?"_

"_Yuno is on her way to fight a demon right now."_

"What?!" Mami rushed to the window and flung it open. "Why didn't she wait for me?"

"She sensed it as she was coming over and asked me to get you. Any delay and many more people would die."

Mami transformed, scooped up Kyubei, and jumped out the window. She used her ribbons to pull herself faster as she jumped across rooftops. "She's still not fully recovered! She should have waited!"

Kyubei held onto her shoulder as she sped along. "Even at the cost of people's lives?"

Mami bit her lip. She could understand Yuno's reasoning. It was exactly something Mami would do, but seeing someone else she cared about being so reckless made Mami panic. "It'll be no good for everyone if she's dead." _Just what Kyoko would say._

Kyubei's tail flicked. "It is as you say."

Mami released more magical energy to run even faster with Kyubei guiding her along. They stopped at an open plaza with a fountain. It was late at night so nobody was around.

Kyubei hopped off. "She was around this location."

Mami's soul gem was glowing but she couldn't identify the direction. "Where could she have gone? Where Kyubei? Where?"

A bright bolt of pink light flew into the air in the distance. "Yuno!" Mami ran as hard as she could to where it had originated, leaving Kyubei behind. Magical energy coursed through her body, making her a blur. She jumped up several buildings and arrived at where the bolt had come from. Mami searched frantically for her.

She saw a giant shape lumbering around below her. She shuddered. A demon. It was as horrific as she remembered with it's four arms, evil teeth, and miasma covered body. She couldn't find Yuno anywhere. _No. No no no no no! I can't be too late! I can't! She has to be here somewhere!_

The demon had noticed her but she didn't care. Yuno was nowhere to be seen. Mami's heart sank. Yuno was still hurt. She wasn't in top fighting form and so was vulnerable. She looked at the demon carefully and noticed bright cuts on its body. Yuno must have been fighting it, but if Yuno wasn't currently fighting the demon then...it could only mean...

Blazing hot anger flooded through Mami. She leaped into the air above the demon and summoned a huge pistol. "TIRO FINALE!" The bullet smashed into the demon's head and made it roar in pain. She landed and aimed again. "TIRO FINALE! TIRO FINALE!" The demon was hit by the first one but warped to the side to dodge the second one.

Mami couldn't see Yuno or any remains of her on the street, but she could see a smoking crater. It would have been right where the pink bolt had originated. Red haze filled Mami's vision. Her pulse pounded in her ears. Her hands shook until she clenched them hard into fists.

"I am going to kill you a thousand times over!"

Hundreds of ribbons appeared and entangled the demon. It tried to warp but Mami made the ribbons even tighter, holding it in place. She summoned her largest gun yet. "TIRO FINALE DEFINITIVO!" She screamed, barely able to hear herself over the pulse pounding in her ears. An enormous bullet blasted into the demon's chest, but instead of exploding it ground against the demon's shield before drilling itself into it's skin. It let out an earth-shattering roar but the bullet kept drilling through it until it flew out the other side. Despite the light pouring out, Mami could now see through the demon from the giant hole it had in its chest.

The ribbons faded and the demon collapsed to the ground, still barely clinging to life. Mami jumped onto the demon's head. "Not enough. Not enough!" She summoned more rifles and began shooting holes all over the demon's body, savoring the the way the demon twitched each time flesh exploded off it. Tears of rage were streaming down her face.

"Die you disgusting thing!" She kept shooting and punctuated each shot with "Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!" She knew the demon had to be on it's dying breath. She summoned a huge gun and aimed it at the demon's mouth. "I will never! Ever! Forgive you!"

Mami woke up in a pile of rubble against a wall. She felt numb all over She reached up to clear dust from her head and realized her body wasn't responding. _What? What's going on?_ She looked down and almost fainted again. Her legs were crooked, broken, and bleeding with rocks embedded in them. Her right arm was bent the wrong way at the elbow. Her left arm was completely red from blood. Her clothes were so cut up and red, she could barely recognize them. She didn't want to think of what was underneath them.

She tried to remember what had just happened. She had flown into a rage and was about to kill a demon when something had happened. She strained her mind. Something had collided with her body and then...she had flown through the air and passed out.

She looked past her body. In the distance, she could see the demon she had defeated dissolving while a giant figure stood over it roaring. Understanding forced its way into her addled brain. Another demon. Two in one place. She had been so blind with rage that she hadn't sensed it appear behind her and hit her as hard as it could off the other demon's head.

She began laughing crazily. _Just my luck. Two demons in one place. I couldn't do anything in the end. Useless. Just like when my family died. I couldn't even help Yuno. I'm so useless._

The first demon faded completely away and the second demon turned towards Mami. It howled and came towards her.

_Suppose it's time. What's it matter? None of it! I'll just die! Die die die die die!_

The demon was almost on top of her now. It was the end. She grinned up at it. _Time for it to end!_

Pink started filling up her vision. Mami stopped grinning and looked at it confused. A figure seemed to be forming. _What?_ Pink hair appeared and then the pretty face of a young girl. Her body formed next, arms reaching out to Mami. Mami gazed at her in awe. "Wh-who are you?" She whispered quietly through a broken jaw. The girl's hands absorbed the black filth from her soul gem and then she reached down and rested her hands on Mami's. Love, peace, and hope flowed through her.

Mami thought she heard a voice in her head. _"You did enough. Rest now."_

Mami felt tears flowing from her eyes. "Thank...you."

Everything went black.

/人◕‿‿◕人\

From atop a building, Kyubei watched Mami's final moments before she was crushed into nothing by the demon. It sighed. Kyubei hated seeing resources used up like this. Still, things had to be kept in motion, and most importantly, it had confirmed one of its theories.

It turned its head to Yuno who was sitting down watching the demon finish its work. She was humming a happy tune and had a large smile, but her eyes were completely hollow. Kyubei had never seen a human with eyes quite like hers. It was like staring into a void.

The demon walked away and left a crater of rubble where Mami had been. Yuno leaned her head back and let out an insane laugh. She fell on her back and laughed louder and louder, almost reaching a shriek, before calming down and resting a hand on her forehead. She hopped up and spun around, hugging herself with her arms.

"Soon Yuki. It'll be so soon."

Kyubei watched her. It knew many things could be said about Yuno. Unstable, strong, intelligent, ruthless. Above all though, her single-minded focus made her almost impossibly dangerous.

_And that is why I will win._


	8. Chapter 8: Push

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to _Mirai Nikki_ or _Puella Magi Madoka Magica_.

Chapter 8: Push

"I didn't expect you to make such a bold move."

"You disapprove?"

"On the contrary, I find it exciting. I never play that way, but I love the romantic style."

"She insisted, and it appeared to have more gains than risks."

"Time will tell."

"It always does. Will you continue to just watch?"

"I told you I had no intention of interfering. I set it up and watch what happens. That's all."

"Hm."

"What?"

"You're more dangerous than I thought."

/人◕‿‿◕人\

Kyoko ate a raw bagel as she leaned against the railing of an observation post. She liked looking out over the area and seeing her hunting ground during the day. It filled her with no small amount of pride and excitement. She studied it everyday in order to find new routes and devise new strategies.

She took a big bite out of her bagel. _I should check out the southwest district again. I'm sure I could use those alleys better during a hunt. Maybe use my spear as a standing platform._

Movement flickered out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head slightly to see what it was and then resumed her watch. "Long time no see Kyubei. Finally tired of your new girlfriend?"

"Hello Kyoko. How have things been here?"

Kyoko smirked and held her hand up in front of her, palm open. Two black spheres materialized in her hand. She tossed them both to Kyubei who caught them and threw them into its back. "And I've got another one that's barely been touched. Three demons. How's that sound?"

Kyubei's tail swished. "Very impressive. You really have a knack for hunting these creatures. I don't think I will have to worry about you at all."

"You got that right." She finished off her bagel. She still hadn't looked directly at Kyubei. Kyoko knew something was up, but she didn't want to have to ask. They both stayed silent for a moment as the wind gently blew past them.

Kyoko got impatient first. "So why else you here Kyubei? I'm sure its not just to get my spheres. Did Mami send you begging for my help again?"

Kyubei's eyes flashed. "Mami is dead."

Kyoko lost her hold on the rail and stumbled. She immediately tried to regain her composure but couldn't help the small quaver in her voice. "Dead? What happened?"

"She fought a demon and was caught off guard by a second one."

Kyoko rested both hands on the rail and stared straight ahead without seeing anything. Dead? Mami was one of the best magical girls out there. If she could die, anyone could. And two demons? At once? Even Kyoko hadn't been that unlucky. She wasn't sure if she could handle that situation. Not without using a whole sphere anyway.

_It just keeps getting more dangerous. Will any of us survive?_

Kyoko straightened up. "What about Yuno?"

"She's alive."

Kyoko turned to look straight at Kyubei. "She couldn't save Mami?"

Kyubei's tail flicked. "Mami rushed to face the demons alone. She was worried about Yuno."

Kyoko gritted her teeth. "That idiot. Yuno can take care of herself. She didn't have to try and be so overprotective."

Kyubei remained silent.

"Anything else?"

"Yuno will now oversee Mami's previous jurisdiction; however, you are free to challenge her for it."

Kyoko had a split second flashback of seeing Yuno bifurcate a demon. She masked her unease with an air of indifference and shrugged. "She can keep it if she wants. I'm fine with my area."

"Then I'll be on my way."

It jumped away and disappeared. Kyoko grasped the rail again with both hands and looked out, but her mind wasn't on hunting anymore. Mami gone? She had been waiting for Mami to contact her and make some pathetic attempt at reconciliation. She would have rejected of course in order to save face, but she would have accepted the next time after that.

She felt something wet on her face. She brought her hand up and felt water. _Crying? I don't cry! I never cry!_ She gripped the railing hard and gritted her teeth. The tears wouldn't stop though despite her best efforts. Her body knew her heart better than she did.

She clenched her eyes tight and did her best to resist sobbing while wiping away her tears with her sleeve. After a few minutes of deep breathing, she was able to get herself under control again. _Mami...I'm sorry. I was angry. I'm bad at letting things go. I shouldn't have taken things so personally, but I'll make it up to you. I'll let you rest in peace._

She didn't buy Kyubei's story. Mami caught off guard? Not fighting with Yuno? Yuno not swopping in and saving the day like Kyoko knew she absolutely could? There was a lot more to this story, and she was determined to find it out. It was the only way to honor Mami's memory.

She didn't trust Yuno at all and was certain she had a hand in this. _Why though? What's her motivation?_ Kyoko thought about this. Yuno now had control of Mami's area. Maybe it was a simple power grab. Control the area and keep all the miasma spheres for herself. Kyoko shuddered at the thought of Yuno with a hoard of spheres. With her natural talent, she could become unstoppable.

_That's got to be it, but if so, what's her endgame? Why would she want all those spheres?_

Kyoko mulled over this for awhile and got nowhere. She couldn't think of any real reason for doing that. She scowled. "I need more information."

She stood tall and cemented her resolve. She knew what she had to do.

/人◕‿‿◕人\

Kyoko watched the door to the apartment intently from a rooftop a block over. She lay flat on her stomach and had a tarp covering her. She had been here for two hours, but there had been no sign of movement or activity of any kind. She was getting stiff and sweaty from staying here for so long.

She laid down her head to rest for a second and sighed. It had taken two days, but by using her enchantment powers, she had been able to look into records and drag up memories of Yuno from people. It all pointed to her living at this address. She didn't dare try going in when she didn't know if Yuno was there or not, so she decided to stake out her place and wait for her to leave for patrol, but it was almost evening and so far nothing had happened.

Another half-hour went by. The sun had just set and it was night now. Kyoko was beginning to wonder if Yuno was home at all or would even show up. _This was a waste of time._

She saw something pink out of the corner of her eye. She immediately focused on it. _There! Finally!_ Yuno was walking towards her apartment room, carrying a bag as she did. Kyoko watched as she got to her door and stepped in, and she settled herself down in order to wait for Yuno to leave. She got into a comfortable position when the door opened again. _What? That quick?_ Yuno stepped out, fully transformed, and jumped away.

Kyoko waited a few minutes to make sure Yuno didn't come back and then made her way over to the apartment. The door had a standard electronic lock that could be opened with a keypad. Kyoko grasped the doorknob and surged magical energy through it. The lock popped open. _Child's play._ She stepped into the apartment.

Whatever she had been expecting, it hadn't been this. The apartment was completely bare except for a simple bed, a fridge, and a phone. There were some cupboards next to the fridge. Against the bed was the bag Yuno had brought in. The walls were off-white with no decorations at all. If the bag hadn't been there, Kyoko would have thought this was an uninhabited room.

_Who could live in a place like this? I'd go nuts!_ She looked in all the cupboards but they were barren. The fridge only had some fruit. Kyoko shook her head. _Does she only eat out?_ She carefully investigated the bag. It was full of sweets, much like the ones Yuno had bought when they had gone shopping together. _I guess she has a big sweet tooth._

She looked around. There was pretty much nothing to go off of here. _A dead end._ She sighed. _No other choice. I'll have to spy on her directly._ She made sure not to leave a trace of her presence and then left. She looked around, saw no one, and transformed before heading off in the direction Yuno had gone.

She kept her magical energy use to a minimum. She didn't think Yuno would be on watch for another magical girl, but Kyoko didn't want to take her chances. She had to stay covert if she wanted to know what Yuno was up to. As she hurried along, she carefully reached out with her magical senses, hoping to detect some activity.

Nothing. Her brow furrowed. Every minute she wasn't monitoring Yuno meant a minute she could possibly miss an important clue. Time to get risky. She dashed towards a tall skyscraper in the direction she was traveling. If she got to the top of that, she could cover a much wider range with her senses. She just had to hope Yuno wasn't up there too.

Fortunately, she wasn't. Kyoko stood at the ledge and looked over the city. She closed her eyes and reached out as much as she dared with her magical senses. She detected something, stronger than she thought it would be. She opened her eyes and noticed her soul gem had started flashing. She locked onto where the presence had been. _A demon perhaps?_

Not wanting to waste a second, she hurried off to the location. If she was really lucky, she could see Yuno fight this demon and then see what she did with the sphere afterward. She slowed down as she got closer and kept her magic to a bare minimum. Her soul gem was flashing brightly now. She kept a hand over so that it wouldn't potentially give away her position.

_First need to find the demon._ She thought about sending out copies but decided it was too risky. If Yuno was here, she would immediately sense that much magic being used. She looked around and saw a water tower on top of a tall building. If she stayed in its shadow, she could stay relatively hidden and get a good view of the area. She jumped up to it and crouched down by one of the legs. She reached out again with her soul gem. It was still flashing brightly, but she couldn't tell how far away the demon was. It wasn't a solid light yet so it wasn't right next to her, but it had to be close. She felt something a ways off to her right. _Is that it?_

A huge bellow rent the air. _That's a demon alright._ She made her way over as fast as she could while staying in the shadows. The demon appeared in view. It was greedily sucking up the souls of the hapless pedestrians on the road. There weren't as many as there may have been due to city warnings about going out at night due to the demon attacks, but there were still quite a few.

Yuno was nowhere in sight. _She'll come._ Kyoko hid in the shadows on a building roof. A few minutes went by though, and Yuno still hadn't appeared. The demon had sucked the souls out of a townhouse and was moving on. _She has to show. She'll be here. Right?_ She began to worry that Yuno wasn't near here at all. _What if there is a second demon on the other side of town and she went to get that? But no, she was going this way._ Kyoko began debating whether she should take out the demon herself. _No wait! It's a trap! Yuno is waiting to make sure no other magical girl is here. If I attack it now, she'll know I was watching._ A voice in the back of her head told her she was being overly paranoid. No one, not even Yuno, was that careful about hiding themselves, especially if they had no idea someone was watching them.

Another minute ticked by. The demon sucked the souls out of a family living above a breakfast store. Kyoko was caught in a tug of war. _Kill it! No, it's a trap! Don't be stupid! Can't be a trap! What if it is?_ The demon moved to another building. She clenched her spear. It had been too long with too many good attack opportunities passing. Yuno couldn't be here. She got up to get in position to attack.

The demon roared out and held up an arm. A stump was on the end instead of a hand. Kyoko immediately crouched down again. She hadn't seen the attack, but Yuno had to be here. Hundreds of knives appeared and created a swirling cloud around the demon, cutting it over and over. Kyoko saw a flash and the demon was missing a foot, causing it to collapse to one knee. The knives froze and then all at once imbedded themselves into the demon. It swatted at them and tried to brush them off its skin, but it only pushed the knives in deeper.

Another flash, but this time Kyoko saw black and pink. The demon was missing another hand. A succession of flashes and all of it hands and feet were gone. Light was shining out from all the stumps. It would bleed out soon. Kyoko saw Yuno drop down onto the demon's head and smash it into the ground. She brought her sword up and slashed downwards in a full circle. Bright light seeped out of the demon's neck before it dissolved and disappeared completely.

Kyoko realized her whole body had been tense while watching and forced herself to relax. _That girl is a killing machine. It's like she spent a whole lifetime learning how to kill and now she has crazy magical powers to go with it._

Kyubei appeared next to Yuno as she walked over to the sphere. It looked like Yuno was saying something, but Kyoko couldn't hear. She debated whether to use any magical energy but decided against it.

Yuno picked up the sphere and looked at it in her hand, turning it over to see it from every angle. She tossed it to Kyubei who swallowed it up into its back.

_Wait...what? She didn't even use it! She gave a completely unused sphere to Kyubei!_

Kyoko's mind raced frantically. _What's this mean? My original theory was completely wrong. Why didn't she use the sphere? Does she not care about them? If so, what's her endgame? And why did Kyubei make her into a magical girl if she doesn't use spheres? What going on?_

She saw Yuno was talking again. Kyoko decided to risk using magic to hear. _I don't know what's going on at all. I need something!_

She reached out with her magical senses. "...now? It's been awhile," she heard Yuno say.

"You went four days ago," Kyubei said. "You can't go too often."

"A week is too long. Besides, I've gotten three spheres for you already."

There was a moment of silence. "Fine," Kyubei said. "It shouldn't be too dangerous to go in two days."

"So can we make it six days instead of a week now?"

"So long as you take care of plenty of demons during that time."

Yuno jumped for joy. "Oh I can't wait! I really-" She froze and then vanished.

Kyoko blinked in surprise. _ Wha-_ She felt something press against her neck.

"What are you doing here?"

Kyoko looked down and saw a sword against her throat. Her heart started pounding wildly, but she tried to appear calm. "Hey Yuno. What's up? I just came to see how you were doing is all."

"By spying on me from the shadows?"

Kyoko tried to calm herself but the sword against her skin made it rather difficult. "I saw you fighting the demon and I didn't want to disturb you. I wanted to see you in action and make sure you were fine after Mami...after Mami passing away is all."

There were a few tense seconds before Yuno took the sword away from Kyoko's neck. Kyoko rubbed her neck and willed her heart to slow down.

Yuno bowed to her. "I'm sorry Kyoko. Guess I've been a bit tense since everything with Mami."

"Worried about other magical girls?"

"Didn't you say that magical girls sometimes fight each other? I was worried one of them would feel this territory was ripe for takeover and would attack me."

Kyoko felt embarassed. "Y-yeah, I guess that's true. Don't worry though, I don't want this city. I just wanted to make sure you were well is all what with Mami passing away. She was my friend too even if we had a bit of a falling out."

Yuno eyed her carefully before changing into a sympathetic expression. "True, you two had been friends for awhile. I didn't get to know her nearly as long."

Kyoko tried to get some information. "I was surprised and saddened when I heard the news. How did it happen?"

Yuno sighed sadly. "I had been injured a few days before the demon attack and Mami worried about my safety. She insisted she tackle any demons alone and let me rest until I recover. Apparently, she got surprised by a second demon as she fought another one and couldn't handle it. She killed one of them though. After Kyubei told me what happened, I slew the other demon out of revenge. Mami should be able to rest in peace now." She started crying. "I-I still feel that it's all my fault. I-if I had been there for her the w-whole time..."

Kyoko awkwardly patted her on the shoulder. "Don't think like that. There was no way you could have known that would happen."

Yuno kept crying for a minute before finally calming down. "Y-you're right. I can't keep thinking about what might have happened."

"Right. You need to keep moving forward."

"Thanks Kyoko. You're a big help. You know just what to say."

Kyoko blushed. "I-it's nothing. Just offering some practical advice."

Yuno smiled. "Well, thanks for coming. Sorry about before."

"No, don't worry about it. Seems like everything is fine here. I'll take off now."

"Okay. See you!"

Kyoko jumped away and headed back home. Doubts buzzed around her head. Yuno had seemed genuinely upset about Mami. It was really hard to suspect of her any wrongdoing; however, there were still unanswered questions flying around, incessantly pecking at Kyoko's mind. Especially the sphere and about Yuno going somewhere.

Talking with Yuno was dangerous and would get nowhere, and she couldn't trust Kyubei. Who knows what that thing was hiding. No, Kyoko knew she would only get answers if she knew where Yuno was going every week.


End file.
